SCHOLARLY UPDATE

Music as Proclamation
and Acclamation

Robin A. Leaver

usic in the liturgy has meaning, a content that ries of language, notably those of John Langshaw Austin,

M is conditioned by its context. It "speaks" and

"communicates" beyond the substance com-
prehended by the liturgical text to which it is
set or with which it is associated. But there is an ambiguity
about liturgical music because it means different things in
to interpret the significance of this widely used, postcon-
ciliar liturgical music.4 In his seminal study Austin devel-
oped the theory that every speech-act consists of three
interrelated acts: a "locutionary act," the utterance itself;
an "illocutionary act," the intended effect of the utterance
different liturgical contexts. Liturgical music can, therefore, on the hearer presupposed by the speaker; and a "per-
be prayer, praise, homily, hermeneutic, anamnesis, etc.,1 an locutionary act," the actual effect of the utterance on the
ambiguity of meaning that is similar to the transliterated hearer.5 Austin concludes that all utterances have a per-
Aramaic exclamation "Maranatha": is it "Maran atha? a formative aspect, and therefore the speaking of a sentence
proclamation meaning "Our Lord has come," or "Maraña is not only a combination of sounds with meaning, but,
thai' an acclamation meaning "Our Lord comes!"? The term by its nature, it is also an action. Words, therefore, not
occurs in two passages of early Christian literature and both only mean something, they also do something. Kubicki
have liturgical associations.2 The procla- takes Austin's three acts and reformu-
mation/acclamation "Maranatha" in 1 Robin A. Leaver is professor of lates them in relation to the Taizé liturgi-
Corinthians 16:22 and the Didache 10:6 cal music composed by Berthier:
occurs in eucharistie contexts. sacred music and chair of the
Significantly, in both passages it is closely ( 1 ) that singing the Taizé chants can be
linked with charis (grace): in the former it conducting, organ, and sacred the doing of something, since by virtue
is "Maranathal The grace of the Lord Jesus of its illocationary force, ritual song has
music departments at the power to produce an intended
be with you"; in the latter it is "Let grace
3
come ... Maranatha!' Whether liturgical effect, (2) that, because of its illocation-
Westminster Choir College of
ary force, ritual music is situating rather
music functions as proclamation or accla-
Rider University and is an than informing discourse; and (3) that
mation, its primary context is eucharistie,
the meaningful components of a song
and its fundamental content is the charis- include deep syntactic structure and
internationally recognized
matic exclamation of God's grace. the stress and intonation contour of its
In a recent study of Jacques Berthier's hymnologist, musicologist, utterance.6
Taizé music entitled Liturgical Music as
Ritual Symbol, Judith Marie Kubicki liturgiologist, Bach scholar, Kubicki qualifies this statement by sup-
makes creative use of philosophic theo- and Reformation specialist plying a number of parameters, the first

Liturgical Ministry 10 (Spring 2001) 73-82 Page 73

being: "although the proclamation of Scripture and the
praying of various prayers are an important part of Taizé
prayer, the greatest percentage of each liturgy is by design
comprised of the singing of chants."7
Taizé liturgical music, therefore, is seen more as acclama-
tion rather than proclamation.8
Of course, Taizé chants are not unique in this regard but
are representative of a large portion of liturgical music in
general.
Liturgical Music as Acclamation
In one sense most chant forms associated with the ordinary
of the Mass can be considered acclamations. For example,
the entries for Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, etc., in the New
Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians 2nd edition, begin
with a similar statement, for example, "An acclamation sung
in the Latin Mass."9 Behind such acclamations lie biblical
precedents.
Biblical acclamations begin with the song of Moses
and Miriam, sung in response to redemption from slav-
ery in Egypt: "Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed glo-
riously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea" (Exod
15:21). The imperative acclamation "Sing to the Lord"
became a repeated feature of Israel's later psalmody (Pss
95:1,96:1-2,98:1,147:1, and 149:1; see also Pss 13:6 and
104:33). The psalms also exhorted the worshiping assem-
bly to address God with other acclamations—"Shout to
God with loud songs of joy!" (Ps 47:1)—especially the
"festal shout"—"Blessed are the people who know the
festal shout...who exult in thy name all the day, and extol
thy righteousness" (Ps 89:15-16). Among the most com-
mon "shouts of the Lord" with liturgical significance are
"Amen," "Hallelujah," and "Hosanna."
The Hebrew "Amen" was a confirmatory response with
contractual significance.10 Thus when used within the wor-
shiping assembly it carried with it the connotation of a reaf-
firmation of the covenant relationship between Israel and
God. "Amen" was most commonly appended to a doxologi-
cal statement, such as:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does won-
drous things. Blessed be his glorious name for ever; may his
gloryfillthe whole earth! Amen and Amen! (Ps 72:18-19;
see also Ps 89:52)
or
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,fromeverlasting to
everlasting! Amen and Amen. (Ps 41:13)
But when this latter example is compared with Psalm
106:48 (together with its parallel in 1 Chronicles 16:36), a
Page 74
rubrical gloss makes it clear that "Amen" is the response of
the whole worshiping assembly:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,fromeverlasting to
everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" n
In addition to its use at the conclusion of blessings and
doxologies in the New Testament writings, it is clear that
"Amen" was also employed as a corporate liturgical accla-
mation in the early Christian assembly, similar to its
function in Jewish worship. There are two references in
the Pauline literature that imply the continued corporate
use, though, unlike the instances in the psalms, the con-
text does not make it clear whether the "Amen" was sung.
The first occurs in the context oí glossolalia within the
worshiping assembly of the Corinthian Church: "if you
bless with the spirit, how can any one in the position of an
outsider say the 'Amen' to your thanksgiving when he
does not know what you are saying?" (1 Cor 14:16). The
second is also addressed to the same worshiping commu-
nity: "For all the promises of God find their Yes in him
[Christ]. That is why we utter the Amen' through him, to
the glory of God" (2 Cor 1:20). In the Book of Revelation
the worship of early Christianity is seen in the visionary
terms of the endtime in which the musical acclamation
"Amen" is heard:
...the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with gold-
en bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;
and they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy art thou..." Then
I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living crea-
tures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering
myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying
with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to
receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and
honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature
in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea,
and all therein, saying, "To him who sits upon the throne
and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might
for ever and ever!" And the four living creatures said,
"Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Rev
5:8-14)
Later in Revelation, "Amens" are corporately sung by
angels (7:12), the twenty-four elders, and the four living
creatures (19:4), and at the end of the document—as well as
being the very last word of the New Testament—"Amen" is
paired with a translation of Maranatha to form what
appears to be a common acclamation of the early church:
"Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev 22:20).
This continuity of corporate liturgical "Amens" in both
Testaments is reflected in the worship of the Christian
Church of the early centuries. Justin Martyr, writing in the
Liturgical Ministry Spring 2001
mid-second century, places particular stress on the assent
that the worshiping community gives at the end of the
eucharistie prayer:
Taking them [bread and wine] he [the president] sends up
praise and glory to the Father of all, through the name of the
Son and Holy Spirit, and offers thanksgiving at some
length.... When he hasfinishedthe prayers and the thanks-
giving, all the people present shout their assent, saying
"Amen" ("Amen" in the Hebrew tongue means "so be it").
When the president has given thanks, and all the people
have assented [with "Amen"], those whom we call deacons
give to each one present a portion of the "eucharistized"
bread and wine-with-water....12
What is of significance here is that Justin effectively under-
lines the importance of this corporate "Amen" by contriving
to refer to it in three ways:firstas a statement, second as an
explanation, and third as a reiteration. Of course there is no
reference to it being sung, though the phrase "shout their
assent" is reminiscent of Psalm 47:1 and Psalm 89:15-16
cited above.
The apocryphal "Hymn of Jesus" that appears in the so-
called Acts of St John, which may have originated as early as
the later second century, portrays Jesus and his disciples tak-
ing part in a ring-dance, with the disciples singing the
response, "Amen," to each sung statement of Jesus.13
Although a heterodox document, it may nevertheless reflect
the orthodox practice of corporate singing of "Amens" with-
in liturgical worship. Corporate singing of such acclama-
tions was commonplace by the late fourth century: Egeria's
descriptions of liturgical celebrations in Jerusalem are full of
references to such singing, with statements like "all the peo-
ple singing" or "all the people without exception singing,"14
though there is no specific reference to "Amen."
In the worship of Israel "Amen" was from time to time
associated with the acclamation "Hallelujah" (1 Chron
16:36, Neh 5:13, and Ps 106:48). This shout of praise to God,
"Hallelujah" (Praise to Yah), echoes and re-echoes through-
out the Psalms, especially in those groups of psalms that are
described by the term "Hallel" (to praise) because of the fre-
quency of the acclamation within them (Pss 104-106,111-
118,120-136, and 146-150). Many ofthese psalms begin and
end with "Hallelujah" (e.g. Pss 135,146,147, and 149), and
in some it also forms the primary theme (e.g. Psalm 148 and
150). The so-called "Egyptian Hallel" (Pss 113-118;
"Egyptian" because of the reference to the events of the
Exodus in Psalm 114) was sung at the three major festivals of
Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. At Passover Psalms
113-114 were sung at the beginning of the Seder meal, and
Psalms 115-118 at its end. Talmudic tradition directs that
"Hallelujah" be sung as a response following each verse of
the Hallel,15 and in the worship of the later synagogue, the
Leaver: Music as Proclamation and Acclamation
Liturgical music's
primary context is eucharistie
and its fundamental content
is the charismatic exclamation
of God's grace.
"Daily Hallel" (Pss 145-150) became part of the morning
service. Thus "Hallelujah," imbedded within the psalmody
as well as an independent response, was a commonly repeat-
ed acclamation within the worship of Israel.16 Its occurrence
within the psalmody implies that it was a musical "shout,"
one of the "loud songs of joy" (Ps 47:1).
"Hallelujah" was taken over into early Christian worship
as afrequentlyheard acclamation of the worshiping assem-
bly. It is a practice that is either implied or referred to in a
number of early documents. Among them is the Book of
Revelation in which it is a repeated acclamation of the
redeemed of the earth as well as of the hosts of heaven:
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great
multitude in heaven, crying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and
glory and power belong to our God..." Once more they
cried, "Hallelujah! The smokefromher goes up for ever and
ever." And the twenty-four elders and the four living crea-
tures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the
throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" ... Then I heard what
seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of
many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals,
crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty
reigns..." (Revelation 19:1,3-A, 6)
In another visionary document, the Apocalypse ofSt Paul
(perhaps dating from the fourth century), "Hallelujah" is
again the repeated acclamation of the worshiping assembly
within the Eucharist:
And again he brought me to the river of oil to the east of the
city [Jerusalem]. And I saw there men who rejoiced and
sang psalms, and I said: "Who are these, sir?" And the angel
Page 75
 said to me: "These are those who dedicated themselves to
God with the whole heart and had no pride in themselves..."
And I saw in the midst of the city a great and very high altar;
and there was standing alongside the altar one whose face
shone like the sun and who held in his hands a psaltery and a
harp and who sang saying, "Hallelujah!" And his voice filled
all the city. And as soon as all who were on the towers and at
the gates heard him they replied, "Hallelujah!" so that the
foundations of the city were shaken. And I asked the angel
and said: "Who, sir, is this here with such great power?" And
the angel said to me: "This is David; this is the city of
Jerusalem. But when Christ, the king of eternity, shall have
come with the confidence of his kingdom, then he will again
step forward to sing and all the righteous will reply at the
same time Ήallelujah.," And I said: "Sir, why is it that David
alone begins the singing before all the other saints?" And the
angel answered and said unto me: "Because Christ, the Son
of God, sits at the right hand of his Father, this David will
sing psalms before him in the seventh heaven; and just as
this is done in the Heavens, so it is done below, because it is
not permitted to offer to God a sacrifice without David, but
it is necessary for David to sing psalms at the time of the
offering of the body and blood of Christ; as it is carried out
in the Heavens, so also on earth."
And I said to the angel: "Sir, what is Ήallelujah,?"... And he
said to me: "Hallelujah is a word in Hebrew, the language of
God and angels. And the meaning of Hallelujah is this:... 'Let
us bless him all together.'... if anyone should sing Hallelujah
and there are some present who do not sing it at the same
time, they commit sin because they do not join in the
singing...whoever is able, and does not join in the singing,
you know that he is a despiser of the word. And it would be
proud and discreditable that he should not bless the Lord
God his maker."17
Although the information is presented in visionary
terms, the fact that it reflected actual practice is stated no less
than twice: "just as this is done in the Heavens, so it is done
below... as it carried out in the Heavens, so also on earth."
There is a similar reference to the corporate singing of
"Hallelujah" in a sermon of St. Augustine on 1 John 3:9-18.
Whereas the Apocalypse of St Paul indicates that participa­
tion in the singing is a marker of a true member of the wor­
shiping assembly, St. Augustine declares that love, the
intention of the heart, is the essential marker. Nevertheless
both passages underscore the corporate nature of the
singing. Augustine says:
Love alone puts the difference between the children of God
and the children of the devil. Let them all sign themselves
with the sign of the cross of Christ; let them all respond,
Amen; let all sing Alleluia; let all be baptized, let all come to
church, let all build the walls of churches: there is no dis­
cerning of the children of God from the children of the
Page 76
devil, but only by charity. They that have charity are born of
God: they that have it not, are not born of God. A mighty
token, a mighty distinction!18
From the fourth century, in both Eastern and Western tradi­
tions, the Alleluia was customarily sung before the gospel,
especially during Eastertide. In Eastern traditions it was also
incorporated into the Cherubikon, sung at the Great
Entrance when the prepared elements of bread and wine
were transferred to the altar.
A third Hebrew acclamation that was taken into
Christian worship is "Hosanna," a term not found in the
Hebrew Bible though its somber petitionary cognates do
occur, such as: "And now, we pray you, forgive the trans­
gression of the servants of the God of your father" (Gen
50:17), and "Save us, we beseech thee, O Lord" (Ps 118:
25). 19 In postbiblical Jewish usage the seven days of the
feast of Tabernacles were concluded with a sevenfold
"Hosanna," meaning "save/help, please"—in this context
effectively a prayer for rain that was essential for future
well-being. Branches that were beaten on the ground
were also called "Hosannas," hence the proverbial Hebrew
and Yiddish saying "a beaten hosanna," meaning a person
beaten down by misfortune. Nowhere in biblical or post-
biblical Jewish usage is "Hosanna" to be found as an accla­
mation of praise. 20 It is only in the gospels that it is
employed in this way: five times and all are in accounts of
Jesus entering Jerusalem the first day of the week that
ended with the Passover and his crucifixion (Matt 21:9
[twice], Mark 9:11 and 11:10, and John 12:13). The con­
trast between Jewish and Christian understandings of the
term could not be greater. Did these early Christian writ­
ers simply misunderstand the Hebrew term? Or did later
Christian writers fail to recognize the irony of
"Hosanna—Save us!" when that is exactly why Jesus
entered into Jerusalem—to become the crucified Savior?
Whatever the reason, in Christian tradition "Hosanna"
was and remains an important liturgical acclamation
heard especially at the beginning of Holy Week. Although
it is an acclamation of praise that is primarily associated
with Palm Sunday, it nevertheless does hint at Jesus as the
"beaten Hosanna," the one who suffered on the cross.
It is just possible, however, that the Hebrew meaning of
"Hosanna" was carried over into Christian liturgical usage.
The literal translation of "Hosanna" when addressed to God
is "Lord, save/ Lord, have mercy." This is exactly the meaning
oí Kyrie eleison. Markus Jenny has, therefore, argued that
there is a continuation of the original meaning of "Hosanna"
in the liturgical Kyrie.21 Both are associated with a repeated
litany form: in the Jewish feast of Tabernacles "Hosanna" was
a response to petitions, and in the Eastern Divine Liturgy
Kyrie eleison had a similar function. Egeria witnesses to such
Liturgical Ministry Spring 2001
use in Jerusalem, when the catechumens were being prayed
for:
...hymns and antiphons are sung. And when these have been
finished according to custom, the bishop arises and stands
...and one of the deacons makes the commemoration of
individuals as is customary. And as the deacon pronounces
the individual names, a great number of children, whose
voices are very loud [infinitae], stand there and respond
Kyrie eleison, or as we say, miserere Domine}2
A similar passage is found in the bidding prayer for the cate-
chumens in the Apostolic Constitutions:
And silence being established, he [the deacon] shall say:
Catechumens pray! And all the faithful shall pray for them
with understanding, saying: Kyrie eleison. The deacon shall
bid prayers for them, saying: "For the catechumens, let us all
call upon God..." Again let us earnestly make our supplica-
tions on their behalf, that obtaining the remission of their
sins by initiation they may be made worthy of the holy mys-
teries, and of abiding [communion] with the saints..." After
each of the deacon's biddings, as we said before, the people,
and above all the children, shall say: Kyrie eleison.23
Neither of these references indicates whether the Kyries were
said or sung, though the implication from other early
sources is that they were sung.
In the Western Church the ninefold Kyrie was construct-
ed as an independent "acclamation," appearing first in the
Ordo Romanus of St. Amand (eighth-ninth century). Thus
in the primary liturgical traditions of Christianity it seems
likely that two different "acclamations" developed from the
Hebrew "Hosanna": "Hosanna" the acclamation of praise,
and Kyrie eleison the supplication of penitence. Like "Amen,"
both were sung by the whole worshiping assembly. Such
unison singing was taken as a demonstration of the unity of
the faithful at worship, as is witnessed to by the many refer-
ences to "une voces dicentes" (singing with one voice) found
in the writings of the early Church fathers.24
With the rise of the schola cantorum, a liturgical choir
separate from the wider congregation, the practice of con-
gregational singing in the Mass declined quickly until it
became non-existent. But that did not mean that the people
ceased to sing religious songs, especially in connection with
the major feasts of the Church year. These songs were trans-
mitted orally from generation to generation until around
the ninth century when some began to appear in manu-
script sources. A notable feature of these extra-liturgical reli-
gious folksongs is the continuity of the older acclamations,
such as "Alleluia" and Kyrie eleison, which had been sung by
the whole liturgical assembly in thefirstfew Christian cen-
turies. What had once been sung by the people in the Mass
Leaver: Music as Proclamation and Acclamation
Nowhere in biblical
or postbiblical Jewish usage
fs "Hosanna" to be found
as an acclamation ofpraise.
and other liturgical celebrations wasfirmlyimbedded with-
in the common memory and transmitted through these
extra-liturgical songs. In Dutch-, Czech-, and especially
German-speaking areas such Rufe (cries/acclamations) were
sung at various secular occasions and may even have been
sung congregationally at the end of sermons or after the
Mass. A sub-genre of the RufVas the German Leise, so-
calledfromits use of Kyrie eleison—or variants such as Kyrie
eleis, Kyrieleis, etc.—as a refrain.25 Primary examples
include:
Christmas: Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ
Easter: Christ ist erstanden
Ascension: Christfuhr gen Himmel
Pentecost: Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist
Leisen exist in various textual variants in the sources:
some occur with "Alleluia" instead of Kyrie eleison, and in
others both acclamations are used with the same Leise in dif-
ferent sources, for example Gebbet seist du, Jesu Christ and
Christ ist erstanden can be found with either Kyrie eleison or
"Alleluia."26 There are similar examples from the English
carol tradition, such as "Alleluia" in die refrains of two fif-
teenth-century carols,27 and Kyrie eleison in another.28 In a
carol that did not appear in print until the mid-seventeenth
century no less than three of the oldest liturgical acclama-
tions are incorporated within its opening lines:
All sones of Adam,riseup with me,
Go praise the blessed Trinitie;
Cry Kyrie, with Hosanna,
Sing Alkluja now.29
Page 77
 In another English carol the beginning of the Greater
Gloria is treated as an acclamation and incorporated into its
refrain:
Now synge we with angelis,
Gloria in excelsis.30
But in a later variant form of the same carol the refrain
quotes another Gloria, the acclamation before the reading of
the gospel
Now sing we, and now sing we,
To the gloria O tibi, Domine.31
This serves as a reminder that liturgical acclamations are
closely related to proclamation: they either prepare for or
respond to proclamation, and sometimes they become the
proclamation itself.
Liturgical Music as Proclamation
A factor frequently overlooked is the very close connection
between prophecy and music in the Hebrew Bible.32 In a
number of ancient languages "making music" is synony-
mous with "prophesying": thus the Hebrew naba means
both "to prophesy" and "to make music."33 There is the
example of Saul, wanting to become a prophet, who is told
what to do by Samuel:
After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim. .-.and there, as
you come to the city, you will meet a band of prophets com-
ing down from the high place with harp, tabor,flute,and
lyre before them, prophesying. Then the spirit of the Lord
will come mightily upon you, and you shall prophesy with
them and be turned into another man. ( 1 Sam 10:5-6)
Similarly, when Jehoshaphat requested a prophet, Elisha
called for a minstrel: "And when the minstrel played, the
power of the Lord came upon him [Elisha]. And he said,
'Thus says the Lord...'" (2 Kings 3:15). The declarative word
from God—prophecy as "forthtelling" rather than "fore-
telling"—is proclaimed with music. In the same way that
prophecy had a musical component, so liturgical music had
a prophetic function. Thus the three families of musicians
were set apart for this musical ministry:
David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the ser-
vice certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of
Jeduthun, who should prophesy with lyres, with harps, and
with cymbals... the sons of Asaph... under the direction of
Asaph ... prophesied ... the sons of Jeduthun ... under the
direction of their father ... prophesied with the lyre in
thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. ( 1 Chron 25:1-3)
Page 78
In the worship of Israel it was the function of psalmody
not only to convey praise to God but also to communicate
words from God. The psalms were therefore sung not simply
as the acclamation of God's worthiness, God's gracefulness,
but also as the proclamation of God's actions, God's gra-
ciousness. This conjunction of acclamation with proclama-
tion in the act of singing is a frequent occurrence in the
psalms themselves, as the following examples demonstrate:
Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds! (Ps 9:11 )
I will tell of thy name to my brethren;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.
(Ps 22:22)
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
(Ps40:3)
I will sing of thy steadfast love, O Lord, for ever;
with my mouth I will proclaim thy faithfulness
to all generations. (Ps 89:1)
O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvationfromday to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
(Psalm 96:1-3)
Sing to him, sing praises to him,
tell of all his wonderful works! (Ps 105:2)
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! (Ps 107:2)
In the New Testament the connection between prophecy
and music is continued. For example, the Song of Zechariah
or Benedictus is presented as inspired prophecy:
Zechariah wasfilledwith the Holy Spirit, and prophesied,
saying,
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited
and redeemed his people..." (Luke 1:67-68)
Similarly, the two New Testament injunctions concerning
music carry the same implication of inspired proclamation,
the declarative word of prophecy—"address one another,"
"teach and admonish one another":
...befilledwith the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
to the Lord with all your heart. (Eph 5:18-19)
Liturgical Ministry Spring 2001
 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admon-
ish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. The connection between
(Col 3:16)

Again, the conjunction of acclamation of God with procla-

mation of God's actions found in the psalms is also present prophecy and psalmody
in the songs of worship recorded in the Book of Revelation:

The twenty-four elders...cast their crowns before the throne,

singing, "Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive was continued
glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things,
and by thy will they existed and were created." (Rev 4:10-11 )

And I saw...those who had conquered...standing beside the

sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing
the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb, saying, "Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord
God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the
ages!" (Rev 15:2-3)
The connection between prophecy and psalmody was
continued in the early Church. For example, fourth-century
Hilary of Poitiers declared that the psalms must be under-
stood as prophecies regarding the life of Christ.34 But there
was also a more direct way that prophecy, the declarative
word of God, existed as a musical form within the liturgical
assembly: the biblical lections that were sung to the wor-
shipers in both Eastern and Western traditions. Here liturgi-
cal music functioned as proclamation in the purest sense of
being the bearer of the biblical word. Western chant forms
were specifically created for epistles and gospels, with partic-
ular melodic formulae for the different marks of punctua-
tion, and these lections were often fully notated in the later
tonaries. For the gospels of Holy Week, comprising the pas-
sion narratives, a more complex range of melodic formulae
were assigned (together with different pitches for the basic
reciting tones) relating to the different personages within the
narrative.35
In the sixteenth century Martin Luther understood the
proclamatory nature of these lectionary tones and in towns
and cities that followed his reformed Latin Mass they contin-
ued in use for the epistles and gospels. In his Deutsche Messe
(1526) he introduced his own recitation formulae for both
epistle and gospel in the vernacular (the gospel tones being
based on the principles of the traditional passion tones).
Luther rejected the canon of the Mass and in its place substi-
tuted the Verba testamenti alone, which he understood as
words that proclaim the gospel, rather than words of prayer.
In order to make this connection unmistakable, in the
Deutsche Messe Luther set the Verba to exactly the same tones
he assigned to the chanting of the Gospel of the day.36 The
proclamatory function of music within Lutheran worship
in the early Church.
gaverise,on the one hand, to music being described as the
viva voce evangelii (the living voice of the gospel) and, on the
other hand, to the development of specific genres of liturgi-
cal music that functioned as proclamation to the worshiping
assembly, such as the Spruchmotette and Evangelienmotette
(epistle and gospel motets, respectively), as well as the canta-
ta that developed during the seventeenth and early eigh-
teenth centuries, a form that was essentially a musical
exposition of the gospel of the day.37
Luther also saw that there was a need for congregational
music. In his Formula missae (1523) he wrote:
I also wish that we had as many songs as possible in the ver-
nacular which the people could sing during mass, immedi-
ately after the gradual and after the Sanctus and Agnus Dei.
For who doubts that originally all the people sang these
which now only the choir sings....38
Later the same year he wrote a letter to a friend encouraging
him to join Luther and his Wittenberg colleagues in writing
congregational hymns: "I intend to make vernacular psalms
for the people, that is, spiritual songs so that the word of God
even by means of song may live among the people."39 From
the beginning the Lutheran chorale tradition of congrega-
tional song had a proclamatory function: it was to be the
Word of God in song which members of the congregation
proclaimed to each other as they sang. Significantly, even
before Luther and his colleagues had begun to write the new
hymns, the earlier folk-hymns, the Leisen—with their
acclamatory refrains Kyrieleison or "Alleluia"—were pressed
into congregational use. In the Formula missae (1523) of the
three vernacular hymns Luther mentioned as suitable for
congregational song within the worshiping assembly, two
were Leisen: Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet and Nun bitten

Leaver: Music as Proclamation and Acclamation Page 79


Has musical style and effect
become more important
than musical form and function?
wir den Heiligen Geiste Over the next few months or so
Luther either expanded with further stanzas pre-existing,
one-stanza Leisen, or wrote new hymns in a Leise form (all
the following were published in 1524):
Christ ist erstanden
Christfogin Todesbanden
Dies sind die heiigen Zehn Gebot
Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ
Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet
Jesus Christus under Heiland, der den Tod
Mensch willst du leben seliglich
Mitten wir im Leben sind
Nun bitten wir den Heilgen Geist
The new Reformation hymnody was therefore simulta-
neously proclamation (declarations of Scripture) and accla-
mation—the incorporations of traditional Rufe Kyrieleison
or "Alleluia." Here again is the reminder that acclamation
anticipates proclamation, and proclamation evokes accla-
mation within the liturgical assembly.
TheAntiphonal Relationship
ofProclamation and Acclamation
In an important study of the patterns of worship in the Book
of Revelation, Klaus-Peter Jörns concludes that the essential
nature of this worship reciprocates between proclamation
and acclamation as the various groups sing their antiphonal
liturgy:41 all are involved but each group takes its turn in the
singing. In the liturgy of the early Church in the structure of
the pre-Eucharistic synaxis there was an alternation of
proclamation and acclamation: Scripture chanted by a single
voice, psalmody sung by all (frequently with the congrega-
Page 80
tion singing responsorially to the singing of the cantor or
choir), after which came the proclamation of preaching.
Basil the Great, in his commentary on Psalm 28: 7, writes
thus (with an allusion to 1 Corinthians 14:15):
You have a psalm, you have a prophecy, you have the gospel
precepts and the pronouncements of the Apostles. While
your tongue sings, let your mind search out the meaning of
the words, so that you might sing in the spirit and sing also
in understanding.42
Similarly Jerome witnesses to the close connection between
the psalm that was sung in the liturgical assembly and the
proclamation of the sermon/homily that followed it,43 and
the late fourth-century Canons of Laodicea decreed that
psalmody should alternate with proclamation: "The psalms
ought not to be sung one after the other in the assemblies,
but a reading should be interpolated after each psalm."44
Following the synaxis, the eucharistie liturgy was also
characterized by an antiphonal alternation of acclamation
and proclamation: in the Sursum corda dialogue, as wit-
nessed in Hippolytus,45 that led to the corporate acclamation
of the Sanctus (after the fourth century), and in the emphat-
ic acclamation "Amen" following the thanksgiving prayer
(with its proclamatory elements), to which Justin attests.46
The rhythm of this alternation remained in the Mass of later
centuries but the liturgical antiphony became restricted to
the clergy and choir, with the congregation remaining essen-
tially mute. While the Council of Trent did address some of
the issues regarding the form and content of the Mass, it
stopped short of restoring the sung word to the congrega-
tion. Such a course of action seemed too Protestant at the
time. The twentieth-century Second Vatican Council not
only addressed the issue of the use of the vernacular but also
acknowledged the fundamental right and role of the com-
munity of faith to participate in the sung acclamation and
proclamation of the Mass. In many respects this represented
the Catholic counterpart of the Protestant insistence on con-
gregational song within worship.47 Much discussion of the
role of the congregation in the Mass took place around the
time that the Council met and in the years following, which
centered on responsorial psalmody, the gospel acclamation,
Sursum corda dialogue, Sanctus, and especially the memorial
acclamation.48 In some of these expositions of the rhythm of
proclamation and acclamation in the liturgical songs of the
congregation, use has been made of the Latin terms anabasL·
and catabasis: God speaks to us—in the liturgical assembly
the word of God is heard in the catabasis of proclamation; we
speak to God—from within the same liturgical assembly we
respond to God in the anabasis of acclamation (though the
two terms are not seen as mutually exclusive but as actions
that share elements of both concepts).49 But while this termi-
nology is employed to explain congregational participation
Liturgical Ministry Spring 2001
in the eucharistie rite, even though this role is essentially
musical, it is rare to find any reference to the musical
dimensions. For example, in his perceptive article Karl-
Heinrich Bieritz, under the subheading "Forms of the
Word," treats "the Word as read," "the Word as preached,"
and "the Word as depicted [in art]"50 and, even though he
later draws attention to an important study of Luther's
hymns,51 he never considers "the Word as sung," and yet the
proclamations/acclamations of the congregation within the
liturgy are expressed in musical forms. Thus Luther, in his
classic statement about the essence of worship—dealing
with the concepts of anabasis and catabasis but without the
specific terminology—makes particular reference to the
sung word of the congregation. In the sermon he preached
at the dedication of the Castle Church, Torgau, in 1544
Luther states: "Nothing else may ever happen in it [the wor-
ship of Torgau Castle Church] except that our dear Lord
himself may speak to us through his holy Word and we
respond to him through prayer and sung praise [Gebet und
Lobgesang]."52 In the dedication service at which Luther's
sermons were first heard these words were set within the
context of liturgical music, some of which was specially
composed for the occasion, notably Johann Walter's setting
of parts of Psalm 119.53
That anabasis and catabasis should be used in expositions
of dialogical proclamation and acclamation within the litur-
gical assembly but without reference to their musical forms
is somewhat surprising, since these terms were commonly
used in Baroque writings on musical rhetoric: anabasis, a
melodic ascent, and catabasis, a melodic descent, that corre-
spond to the meaning of the associated text.54 For example,
in John Marbeck's quasi-chant setting of the creed in the
Eucharist of the 1549 Anglican Prayer Book the words "cru-
cified for us" are set with a downward melodic phrase,
"buried" as a falling 5th, "arise" a rising 4th, and "ascended
into heaven" has a suitablyrisingfigure.55Such word-paint-
ing is especially found in the liturgical music of many
Renaissance and Baroque composers but also occurs in a
good deal of more recently composed music for worship. By
its use the music becomes integral to the meaning of the
liturgical text it bears rather than being an incidental
appendage. Whether the music is proclamation of the choir
to the rest of the assembly at worship or the acclamation of
the whole congregation, there should be some inner con-
nection between what the words mean and what the musical
notes convey.
It is here that we need to return to Judith Marie Kubicki's
analysis of the Taizé chants. Her three acts, constructed from
the categories established by Austin with regard to speech,
can be applied in a more general way to the sung acclama-
tions/proclamations of the liturgical assembly.
1) Singing such acclamations and proclamations are
Leaver: Music as Proclamation and Acclamation
actions by which something is done within the worshiping
assembly. The act of singing does not simply speak about the
unity of the faith—it creates it. Sung proclamation, by the
choir or celebrant, conveys the declarative word to which the
whole community responds in acclamation. It is this
rhythm of actuating liturgical song that creates the oneness
of the liturgical assembly, the uune voces dicentesn that the
early fathers spoke about.
2) Ritual music is situating rather than informing dis-
course. The singing of the creed in the liturgy is not in the
first place an intellectual exercise, it is rather an existential
declaration of identity: this is our God and we are God's
people.
3) Effective acclamations and proclamations require a
close connection between their texts and the music that
supports them, where the "intonation contour of utter-
ance"—that is, the melodic forms, with appropriate
anabasis and catabasis—is consonant with the meaning
of the texts.
Given the rich liturgical traditions of musical acclama-
tion and proclamation we have inheritedfromthe past, the
reality of what we experience today in our worshiping
assemblies may not appear as vibrant or effective as in previ-
ous generations. If so, then is it perhaps because: 1) not all
the members of the congregation actually sing; or 2) our
worship is weighed down by too many didactic elements so
that celebration is stifled; or 3) musical style and effect has
become more important than musical form and function?
1. See various essays in the second part of Liturgy and Music: Lifetime
Learning, eds. Robin A. Leaver and Joyce Ann Zimmerman (Collegeville:
The Liturgical Press, 1998).
2. See K. G. Kuhn, "μαραναθα," Gerhard Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of
the New Testament, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1964-76) 4:466-72; Max Wilcox, "Maranatha," David Noel Freedman, ed.,
The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992) 4:514.
3. See note 2. See also chapter 1, "Kurze Lobsprüche," Reinhard Deichgràber,
Gotteshymnus und Christushymnus in derfrühen Christenheit: Untersuchen
zu Form, Sprache und Stil der frühchristlichen Hymnen (Göttingen:
Vandenhoech & Ruprecht, 1967) 24-44. Deichgràber classifies New
Testament acclamations into three categories: Doxologien, Eulogien, and
Charts-Sprüche.
4. Judith Marie Kubicki, Liturgical Music as Ritual Symbol: A Case Study of
Jacques Berthier's Taizé Music (Leuven: Peeters, 1999).
5. John Langshaw Austin, How To Do Things with Words (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1962).
6. Kubicki, Liturgical Music as Ritual Symbol, 155-56. This statement needs to
be read within the context of the whole chapter (5) "Interpreting Taizé
Prayer in the Light of J. L. Austin's Performative Language Theory," 147-68.
7. Kubicki, Liturgical Music as Ritual Symbol, 156.
8. Kubicki categorizes Taizé liturgical music as consisting of four genres:
Ostinati, Litanies, Acclamations, and Canons (54-69). Although acclama-
tions form only one genre the other three are frequently acclamatory in
content.
9. The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians 2nd edition, eds. Stanley
Sadie and John Tyrell (New York: Macmillan) was at the time of writing
only available in its on-line version: < http://www.grovemusic.com>
10. See Bruce Chilton, "Amen," The Anchor Bible Dictionary, 1:184-86.
11. In the later synagogue morning service the phrase "and we say Amen" may
be derived from the similar use found in the psalms; the same phase, "and
Page 81
 we say Amen" also occurs at the end the hymn "Hail gladdening Light" in
Armenian vespers and at the end of the Gloria in excelsis Deo m some early
Irish manuscripts; see F. E. Warren, The Liturgy and Ritual oftheAnte-
Nicene Church, 2nd ed. (London: SPCK, 1912) 227.
12. Bard Thompson, Liturgies of the Western Church (Philadelphia: Fortress,
1980) 8. In a second passage Justin is briefer in his description: "The presi-
dent...offers up prayers and thanksgivings according to his ability, and the
people assent by saying 'Amen'" (9).
13. James McKinnon, ed., Music in Early Christian Literature (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1987) 25 (no. 38).
14 Egeria. Diary of a Pilgrimage, trans, and ed. George F. Gingras (New York:
Newman, 1968) 118,119,120, etc.
15. Similarly, m the liturgy of early Church "Alleluia" was customarily sung
either at the beginning or end with psalms that m the Hebrew Bible appear
without the acclamation; see Jerome on Psalm 7, McKinnon, Music in
Early Christian Literature, 139 (no. 313)
16 See, for example, the end of Tobit's prayer: "The streets of Jerusalem will be
paved with beryl and ruby and stones of Ophir; all her lanes will cry
'Hallelujah!' and will give praise, saying, 'Blessed is God, who has exalted
you for ever"'(Tob 13:17-18).
17 The Other Bible Jewish Pseudepigrapha, Christian Apocrypha, Gnostic
Scripture, Kabbalah, Dead Sea Scrolls, ed. Willis Barnstone (San Francisco:
Harper, 1984) 541-42.
18. Augustine, Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Homily V, Nicene and Post-
Nicene Fathers, ed. Philip Schaff, Series I (New York Scnbner, 1893-1905)
7: 490; see also McKinnon, Music in Early Christian Literature, 155 (no.
353) for another conjunction of "Amen" and "Alleluia" m the liturgy (m
Augustine's Ennarationes inpsalmos).
19. See further David Mcllhagga, "Hosanna: Supplication and Acclamation,"
Studia Liturgica 5 (1966): 129-50.
20. For the background see Marvin H. Pope, "Hosanna," The Anchor Bible
Dicttonary,3:290-9l.
21. Markus Jenny, "Kyrieleis und Hosianna," Jahrbuch fur Liturgik und
Hymnologie 14 (1969): 117-20.
22. McKinnon, Music in Early Christian Literature, 114 (no. 245); for an alter-
native translation, see Egeria: Diary ofa Pilgrimage, 90.
23. The Liturgical Portions of the Apostolic Constitutions A Text for Students,
trans, and ed. W. Jardine Gnsbrooke (Bramcote: Grove, 1990) 22-23.
24. See Johannes Quasten, Music and Worship in Pagan and Christian
Antiquity, trans. Boniface Ramsey, O.P. (Washington. National Association
of Pastoral Musicians, 1983) 66-75.
25. See Volker Mertens, "Leisen and Rufe," Die Musik in Geschichte und
Gegenwart, 2nd ed., ed. Ludwig Fmscher, Sachteil 5 (Kassel: Barenreiter,
1996) cols. 1075-78.
26. For Gelobet seist du, see Jenny, "Kyrieleis und Hosianna," 118; for Jesu
Christ, Christ ist erstanden, see Philipp Wackernagel, Das deutsche
Kirchenlied von der ältesten Zeit bis zu Anfang des XVII Jahrhunderts
(Leipzig, 1864-1877; reprint Hildesheim: Olms, 1964) 2: nos. 39-42,935-
37,938-39,947-48.
27. Richard Leighton Greene, The Early English Carols, 2nd ed. (Oxford:
Clarendon, 1977) nos. 73 and 137.
28. Greene, The Early English Carols, no. 457.
29. The carol was published in Cantus, songs and fancies, to three, four, or five
parts, both aptfor voices and viols, 2nd ed. (Aberdeen: Forbes, 1666); cited in
Notes and Queries, 3rf senes, 3 (April 25,1863) 330.
30. Greene, The Early English Carols, no. 152 A a.
31. Greene, The Early English Carols, no. 152 Β a.
32. See the summary m Pierre Casera, "Funktionen der Musik in der Bibel,"
Freiburger Zeitschriftfur Philosophie und Theologie 24 ( 1977) 372.
33. See Quasten, Music and Worship in Pagan and Christian Antiquity, 39.
34. McKinnon, Music in Early Christian Literature, 122-23 (nos. 268-69).
35 See David Hiley, Western Chant a Handbook (Oxford: Clarendon, 1993)
54-58; see also Darnel J. Sheerin, "Sonus and Verba. Varieties of Meaning m
the Liturgical Proclamation of the Gospel in the Middle Ages," Ad htteram-
Authoritative Texts and their Medieval Readers, ed. Mark D. Jordan and
Kent Emery, Jr. (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1992) 29-
69.
36. See Robin A Leaver, "Theological Consistency, Liturgical Integrity, and
Page 82
Musical Hermeneutic in Luther's Liturgical Reforms," Lutheran Quarterly
9 (1995): 117-38.
37. Parallel to this Lutheran proclamatory music is the Anglican anthem,
which in choral evensong functions as the homily, since there is customar­
ily no verbal sermon.
38. Luthers Works. American Edition, eds. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut
Lehmann (St. Louis: Concordia, and Philadelphia· Fortress, 1955-1986)
53:36; hereafter cited as LW.
39. Letter to Georg Spalatin, October 1523, LW 53:221.
40. LW 53-36-37.
41. Klaus-Peter Jörns, "Proklamation und Akklamation: Die antiphonische
Grundordnung des frühchristlichen Gottesdienstes nach der
Johannesoffenbarung," Liturgie und Dichtung ein interdisziplinäres
Kompendium, eds. H. Becker and R. Kaczynski (Sankt Otülien: EOS Verlag,
1983) 1:187-208.
42. McKinnon, Music in Early Christian Literature, 66 (no. 134)
43. McKinnon, Music in Early Christian Literature, 139-40 (nos. 312-15).
44. McKinnon, Music in Early Christian Literature, 118 (no 256)
45. Thompson, Liturgies of the Western Church, 20.
46. Thompson, Liturgies of the Western Church, 8.
47. See Robm A. Leaver, "Then the Whole Congregation Smgs The Sung Word
m Reformation Worship," The Drew Gateway 60 ( 1990)· 55-73
48. Among the most influential is Joseph Gehneau, Chant et musique dans
le culte chrétien, principes, lois et applications (Paris* Fleurus, 1962),
English trans. Voices and Instruments in Christian Worship Principles,
Laws, Applications, trans. Clifford Howell (Collegeville: The Liturgical
Press, 1964); see also Joseph Gehneau, Learning to Celebrate the Mass
and its Music, 16 Suggested Approaches, trans. Mary Anselm Grover
(Washington, DC: Pastoral Press, 1985). Other studies include Gino
Stefani, L'acclamation de tout un peuple Les diverses expressions vocales
et chorales de la celebration liturgique (Pans* Fleurus, 1967), Kurt
Knotzmger, "Zwischengesange—eme neue 'Mode' der Kirchenmusik?"
Singende Kirche, 17/2 (1969/70): 55-56; Bernard M. Huijbers, The
Performing Audience Vernacular Liturgy and Musical Style—Six and a
Half Essays on the Functionality of Music (Cincinnati · North American
Liturgy Resources, 1972), James Dallen, "Congregation's Share in the
Eucharistie Prayer," Worship 52 (1978): 329-41; Karl-Heinrich Bieritz,
"Strukturen der Verkundigen" Liturgisches Jahrbuch 33 (1983): 199-
221, abbreviated and trans. Geoffrey Wainwright, "Patterns of
Proclamation," Studta-Liturgica 15 (1982-1983). 18-33
49. See Bieritz "Patterns of Proclamation," 19, and the literature cited on page
30 (note 5); see also Hans-Chnstoph Schmidt-Lauber and Karl-Heinnch
Bieritz, Handbuch der Liturgik. Liturgiewissenschaft in Theologie und Praxis
der Kirche {Gottmgen· Vandenhoeck& Ruprecht, 1995) 235-39.
50. Bieritz, "Patterns of Proclamation," 21-28.
51. Gerhard Hahn, Evangelium als literarische Anweisung Zu Luthers Stellung
in der Geschichte des deutschen kirchlichen Liedes (Munich Artemis, 1981 )
52. LW 51.333, translation modified to express the term "Lobgesang"; see also
Luthers Werke. Kritische Gesamtausgabe, eds. J F.K Knaake et al (Weimar:
Bohlau, 1883-) 49.588. See also the similar sentences Luther wrote almost a
quarter of a century earlier, in the Babylonian Captivity of the Church
(1520). "For God does not deal, nor has he ever dealt, with man otherwise
than through a Word of promise We in turn cannot deal with God oth-
erwise than through faith in the Word of his promise .. God has need of
this: that we consider him faithful m his promises, and patiently persist m
this belief, and thus worship him with faith, hope, and love. It is m this way
that he obtains his glory among us, since it is not of ourselves who run, but
of him who shows mercy, promises, and gives, that we have and hold all
good things. Behold, this is that true worship and service of God which we
ought to perform in the mass" (LW 36*42).
53. Johann Walter, Sämtliche Werke, ed. Otto Schroder (Kassel Barenreiter,
1955-1973) 5:3-12
54. See, for example, Johann Gottfried Walther, Musikalisches Lexicon oder
musikalische Bibliothek (Leipzig· Deer, 1732, facsimile ed Richard Schaal,
Kassel: Barenreiter, 1953) 34 and 148.
55. John Marbeck, The booke ofCommon praier noted (London: Grafton, 1550,
facsimile ed. Robin A. Leaver, Appleford: Sutton Courtenay, 1982) fol. Kiuv.
Liturgical Ministry Spring 2001
 ^ s
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