How Many Verses???
When
rehearsing songs for a liturgy, it is not uncommon for musicians to ask, “How
many verses are we doing?” The short answer is, “It depends.” Longer answers to
this question are given in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Here are several examples:
Music during the
gathering:
When the people are
gathered, and as the Priest enters with the Deacon and ministers, the Entrance
Chant begins. Its purpose is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those
who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the
liturgical time or festivity, and accompany the procession of the Priest and
ministers. GIRM#47
Music during the
procession with and preparation of the bread and wine:
The procession bringing
the gifts is accompanied by the Offertory Chant which continues at least until
the gifts have been placed on the altar. Singing may always accompany the rite
at the Offertory, even when there is no procession with the gifts. GIRM#74
Music during communion:
While the Priest is receiving
the Sacrament, the Communion Chant is begun, its purpose being to express the
spiritual union of the communicants by means of the unity of their voices, to
show gladness of heart, and to bring out more clearly the “communitarian”
character of the procession to receive the Eucharist. The singing is prolonged
for as long as the Sacrament is being administered to the faithful. GIRM#86
As we can see,
singing during the liturgy serves several purposes: to accompany the ritual
actions taking place, to unite the members of the assembly and to help them to
pray. So the length of a song will
depend on the length of a particular procession. The number of verses sung will depend on how
many verses it takes to adequately gather the praying community. In this way,
music serves the liturgy, not the other way around. The liturgical action is primary. Music sustains the flow of the prayers and the
rituals of the liturgy. Done well, this
creates a liturgy that is a seamless garment of praise.