Why don't we sing every verse of every song at Mass?

[mercygate]

I noticed this too when I started attending Catholic Masses. It absolutely amazed me that only the first two verses were sung. Growing up we always sang every verse (even the starred verses, which are always understood to be optional in the hymnal). Most people have absolutely no idea that “O Come All Ye Faithful” actually has six verses. Of course, there are also times that I really appreciate NOT singing every verse…such as when it’s just not a good song in general.

Same here. Although I would love to sing all the verses of “O Worship the King” and emphatically believe we should sing all eight Beatitudes instead of four, and that we should sing each verse of any hymn with 3 verses addressed to or about a Person of the Holy Trinity, it IS a great mercy when we don’t have to “Sing a New Church” for more than 2 verse.

 

[SMHW]

Methinks her memory is starting to fail. I grew up then and don’t recall the Masses being shorter – unless I went to the 6 a.m. one. I usually atteneded the High Mass and there was nothing short about that.

As for singing, even at daily Mass that I attended all through Advent and Lent there was a student chanting all the acclamations and responses.

I have only vague memories of Mass prior to 1964 but I do remember the Mass times. There was typically one High Mass (usually later in the morning) and there were four or five low masses. The earliest Mass usually had NO singing. The other low Masses might have some congregational singing but frequently no organ. Such masses took anywhere from half an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.

Weekday masses were seldom longer than half an hour. It there was singing it was done by the Catholic school children.

Whether accurately or not, I remember getting the impression as a child that the earlier in the morning you attended Mass, the better Catholic you were. (This probably went back to the fact that one needed to fast from midnight on to receive communion.) Families that attended Mass together did NOT usually go to the High Mass.

The high Mass possibly had the largest attendance but those attending did not constitute a majority of the parishioners attending on a given Sunday. The majority of the people attended a shorter Mass with minimal singing.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

Same here. Although I would love to sing all the verses of “O Worship the King” and emphatically believe we should sing all eight Beatitudes instead of four, and that we should sing each verse of any hymn with 3 verses addressed to or about a Person of the Holy Trinity, it IS a great mercy when we don’t have to “Sing a New Church” for more than 2 verse.

I hear you there. There are certain songs that I don’t waste my voice on; however, I will still stand in my pew until it is finished, since I need to make my thanksgiving. Of course, in a parish where songs like that are sung regularly, one cannot pray after Mass without noise-canceling headphones.

 

[lak611]

Well, there’s a difference between saying “the song must end by the end of the lavabo” and the priest waiting 30 seconds after the lavabo so that the song ends and he can say “Pray, brethren.”

That’s true. I do not think there is any reason why the priest cannot just wait until the song is over. It probably would not be excessively lengthy.