Sub communione - perspektiv på kommunionsmusiken

Abstract

The Function of Communion Music

Communion is the culmination of the Mass; everything preceding it leads organically to it. Originally, it was also the end of the Eucharist. It is part of the Missa fidelium, open only to the baptized and faithful. It is the place of the mystery where the divine and human meet and unite, and where God gives of himself to man.  

Music during Communion is, strictly speaking, not essential. It accompanies, but is not in itself, liturgical action. However, from the 4th century onwards, there is ample evidence of singing during the distribution of the Eucharist. This is probably due to the fact that Communion was re­ garded as a kind of procession and therefore required music. Communion could also be regarded from the dual liturgical perspective of sacramentum (an act of God directed towards his Church) and sacrificium (an act of the Church in prayer, confession, praise or thanksgiving to God). Communion itself, as sacramentum, is complemented by Communion music as sacrificium. In this way a liturgical balance is created. Communion music should reflect the character and liturgical content of both Communion and the celebration theme of the day. It may be instrumental as well as vocal. Principally speaking, Communion music can be chosen freely, with regard to text, musical genre, instruments and participants. Silence during Communion is also possible.  

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES  

The Early Church  

The song of praise (Hallel) sung by Jesus and his disciples at the Last Sup­ per, constitutes a kind of model for Psalm singing during Communion. In the first centuries of the Church, singing took place during the Agape, which immediately preceded the Eucharist. The earliest accounts of sing­ ing during the Eucharist proper date from the late 4th century. From them, it can be concluded that singing continued throughout the entire Communion, and that the texts used were associated with the Eucharist: Psalm 34 (especially verse 9 [or 8] and Psalm 145 (especially verse 15). The psalms were probably sung responsorially.  

The Western Church in the Middle Ages  

The growth of what was later termed the Proper of the Mass began in the 5th and the 6th centuries. At that time, there were still important differences between different Western traditions. The Communion song in the Ambrosian liturgy of Milan, the Transitorium, had a simple AA-form. In the Spanish-Mozarabic tradition three antiphones, often completed with psalm verses, immediately preceded Communion, the last one ad accedentes, i.e., during the procession of the communicants to the altar. In Galli- can liturgy the Communion song, Trecanum, had a more complicated five-part structure. Both the structure and the name of the song are believed to refer to the Trinity.  

From the 8th century, the liturgy of the different Western traditions conformed more and more to Roman usage. In the Roman liturgy, the Communio consisted of an antiphone with psalm verses, sung antiphonal- ly. The text of the antiphone was either from the Psalms or from the Gospels. The function of the Gospel texts seems to have been the summing up of the message of the day, a reminder of the fact that the communio also served as the concluding song of the Mass. The communio was sung by the schola cantorum throughout the Communion and ended upon a sign of the priest. The communio melodies were often elaborate, but had on the whole a "gentler" style compared with the Introitus. However, there was also a considerable stylistic variety within the repertoire; Communiones with Gospel texts were often simple and syllabic, in the style of Office antiphones. The repertoire of communiones soon became rich and did not undergo any important changes after the year 1000.  

In the later Middle Ages, there was a shift of emphasis in the Mass. The Elevation took the place of the Communion as the culmination of the service. The Mass became more of a performance of the priests; the congregation gradually ceased to take part in the Communion. This meant that there was no longer a need for prolonged singing during Communion. Thus, the psalmody fell gradually out of use, and only the antiphone remained, which was moved to after Communion; its original place being taken by the ordinary song Agnus Dei, introduced in the Western Church in the 8th century and originally sung during the breaking of the bread. When other parts of the Mass, especially the Ordinary, got polyphonic settings, the communio was, with a few early exceptions, still sung in unison.  

Roman Catholic Developments From the 16th Century Onwards  

In the 16th century there were some reform tendencies within the Roman Catholic Church. In Germany, a "Kirchengesangbuch" offered songs in the vernacular intended for use during Communion. However, there were no important changes in the Roman Mass Order. The melodies, on the other hand, including the communiones, were "reformed" in rather a brutal manner in the Editio Medicaea of 1614. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it became more common to compose rich musical settings of the Mass; however, the communio continued on the whole to be neglected by the composers (exceptions were masses by A Scarlatti and J J Fux). In a German "national liturgy", inspired by the Enlightenment and rationalism, the Agnus Dei and the communio had been replaced by one single song. In the 19th century, as a reaction against the continuing decay of the liturgy and the profane influences on church music, a new reform movement with the aim of restoring Gregorian chant and Palestrinian polyphony saw the light. The communiones benefited from the research of the Solesmes monks and regained their original richness. There was also a trend towards an increase in the participation of the people in Commu­ nion, which was encouraged by Pope Pius XII. This caused a renewed need for Communion music. In some places the psalmody of the communio returned, in others Communion music was furnished by the organ.

The Second Vatican Council caused a greater variety in the choice of Communion music. Responsorial singing was encouraged and the songs of the Graduale could be replaced by others. Eucharistie motives such as joy and brotherhood became prominent. The participation of the people in the singing during Communion was regarded as important.  

The German Lutheran Tradition Until Bach  

The Lutheran Reformation restored the participation of the people in the Communion. The communio soon disappeared, and in its place were put Eucharist hymns in the vernacular, the most important of which were "Je­ sus Christus unser Heiland", "Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet", both of which appeared as early as in Luther’s Deutsche Messe of 1526. Other important Communion songs in the Lutheran service orders of the 16th century are Psalm 111 (sung with psalmody) and a paraphrase of the Words of Institution, Discubuit Jesus. Agnus Dei was also sung during (or at the end of) Communion, both directly translated from Latin and in a paraphrased version ("O Lamm Gottes unschuldig”).

In the late 16th century there was a tendency towards more elaborate communion music, and in the 17th century the music during Communion took on an unprecedented richness and variety, especially in North Germany, with participation of choirs, organ, instrumentalists, and soloists. Very frequently the music was performed altematim with endless possibilities of variation. This situation was basically similar in J S Bach’s time, when even entire cantatas could be performed during Communion, as well as instrumental pieces.  

Sweden From the Reformation to the Present Time  

The first Swedish Lutheran Order of the Mass was published in 1531 by the foremost Swedish reformer Olaus Petri. It appeared in several revised versions during the following decades: 1537, 1548, and 1557. In these lat­ ter versions Communion songs include the Swedish versions of "Jesus Christus unser Heiland" and "Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet", but also the Latin Discubuit Jesus. The prayer of peace, Da pacem, (sung in Swedish) occurs both in the later mass orders of Olaus Petri and in others. The hymns were probably sung mostly by the choir or the cantor; congregational singing was not yet very well developed.  

Towards the end of the 16th century there were intense differences of opinion on liturgical issues, which were finally solved in the Uppsala Council of 1593. The work on the reform of the liturgy which began then was not finished until 1614, when a new Service Order appeared. Here Agnus Dei had become a Communion song; otherwise there were no great differences in the repertoire compared with the 16th century service orders. The 17th century was a period of consolidation, and there were no new liturgical books until the end of the century. The 1693 Service Order gives no less than twelve communion hymns, most of which have - unexpectedly - no textual connection with the Eucharist.  

The 18th century was characterized by liturgical confusion and decay.  The 1811 Service Order was an attempt to restore some kind of liturgical  order, at the expense, alas, of the richness that had been present in the  earlier books. For the first time no specific hymn is mentioned during  Communion. In the course of the 19th century the Eucharist was celebrated more and more seldom, and around 1900 it may be justified to speak of a “crisis”.  

In the Service Order of 1894, the organ is mentioned for the first time during Communion - if only as accompaniment of congregational singing; its successor from 1917, however, allows free organ playing at the beginning of the Communion.  

In the following decades the tide turned; the liturgical awareness in­ creased, the Eucharist was celebrated more often and church music began to flourish. The 1942 Service Order partly reflects this development; it allowed more variety during Communion, but there is still no mention of the choir in this context.  

From the 50’s onwards Swedish church music composition flourished and several organ and choral works explicitly designed for use during Communion saw the light, as well as new congregational hymns, among them Sven-Erik Back’s "Nattvardspsalm" (Communion hymn). In addition, the old Reformation Communion hymns, as well as Gregorian communiones, enjoyed a renaissance.  

In the 60’s and 70’s there was a wave of new simpler songs, usually with guitar accompaniment, some of which were associated with Communion.  

In the provisional Service Order of 1976, choir singing is finally mentioned as a possibility during Communion, a practice by then long established. Ten years later instruments other than organ are explicitly allowed during Communion.  

Two important spiritual movements have in later years influenced the Church also musically, not least with regard to Communion. The "renewal" movement has in many parishes introduced a totally new concept of Communion songs: simple songs of praise, often sung quite loudly and ac­ companied by several instruments. The Taizé movement, on the other hand, has helped to emphasize the meditative side of Communion with its responsorial songs with four-part congregational refrains.  

ADDITIONAL ASPECTS  

Silence as a possibility during Communion seems to be an invention of the noise-afflicted 20th century. In Sweden it is first mentioned in the 1942 Service Order. It can be regarded as an expression of reverence and ado­ ration.  

The texts of the Communion songs were from the beginning related to the Eucharist itself, but when Communion became less important, the communiones lost this connection and got a marked de tempore-character instead.  

An increasing freedom in the choice of Communion music can be observed in the Western church, especially in the 20th century. This development is exemplified by a reading of the Swedish Service Orders, from 1811 to the present day.


Instrumental music other than organ music was used during Communion, e.g. in 17th-century Lutheran North Germany. The 20th century has witnessed a renewed interest in this kind of communion music.  

The question of the responsibility for the music during Communion has been brought to the fore by the occurrence of "spontaneous" singing at the initiative of individual members of the congregation. Prominent Swedish church musicians have emphasized the unacceptability of such private initiatives; however, nothing prevents the church musician from authorizing a group of young people to be responsible for the singing during Communion.  

The relative consensus on the character of Communion music that existed in Sweden 30-40 years ago has now disappeared. At present, almost any sound level is possible, whereas formerly it was a matter of course that all music and singing during Communion should be soft and slow. This is less a matter of stylistic differences than of opposing views on what Communion music should express: we have, on the one hand, loud and lively music, associated with praise, thanksgiving, Easter; and, on the other hand, soft and slow music associated with repentance, meditation, Passion-tide.  

Finally, the author expresses his opinion that the music during Communion should aim at exploring and expressing as far as possible the full­ ness and richness of the Eucharist, in order to become an. adequate response to God’s sacramentum, a true sacrificium of the whole congregation.