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Responsorial Psalm Tunes in Nigerian Catholic Churches: A Survey of Forms

Article · January 2012

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 RESPONSORIAL PSALM TUNES IN NIGERIAN CATHOLIC
CHURCHES: A SURVEY OF FORMS
By
Jude Nwankwo

Introduction

Different forms of prayer and worship abound in the Roman Catholic Church. Among these

prayers and worship is the Mass. Pen defines the Mass as “the central rite of the Roman Catholic

Church – the reenactment of the Last Supper of Christ as expressed in the breaking of bread”. 1

Jacobs consents that it is “the principal service of the Roman Catholic Church”. 2 Powers

describes it as “the ritual of chants, readings, prayers, and other ceremonies used in the

celebration of the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church”.3 According to Agbo “The core

event of Roman Catholic worship is the Mass – a celebration of the Lord’s Pasch that consists of

the penitential rite, the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist”.4 The various

definitions and descriptions of the Mass, given above, confirm that the Mass is a very essential

prayer in the Catholic Church. According to Fortescue: “The Mass is the complex of prayers and

ceremonies that make up the service of the Eucharist in the Latin rites”. 5

The Mass can be divided into different parts. This division is borne out of the activities that take

place in the Mass. Moroney6 divides the Mass into four individual parts:

1
Ronald Pen, Introduction to Music (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992), 121.
2
Arthur Jacob, A New Dictionary of Music (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.), 235.
3
Joseph M. Powers, “Mass (Religion)” Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 [DVD]. (Redmond, WA: Microsoft
Corporation, 2008).
4
Ben Agbo, Inculturation in Nigerian Church Music (Nsukka: Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria).
5
Adrian Fortescue, “Liturgy of the Mass” The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: Robert Appleton Company)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09790b.htm (Accessed 20 July, 2011).
6
James P. Moroney, General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Washington D.C.: United States Catholic
Conference Inc., 2003), 21 – 34.
 (i.) The Introductory Rites (the entrance, greeting of the altar and of the people

gathered together, the act of Penitence, the Kyrie Eleison, the Gloria, and the

collect).

(ii.) The Liturgy of the word (the bible readings, the responsorial psalm, the homily,

the profession of faith, the prayer of the faithful).

(iii.) The Liturgy of the Eucharist (the preparation of gift, the prayer over the

offerings, the Eucharistic prayer, the communion rite, the Lords prayer, the rite of

peace, the fraction, communion).

(iv.) The Concluding Rites

The parts of the Mass listed above may be sung or recited, depending on the type of Mass being

celebrated by the celebrant – Sung Mass (Missa Cantata) or Read Mass (Missa Lecta). This

paper shall concentrate on the responsorial psalm – a constituent of the second part of the Mass,

the Liturgy of the Word.

Responsorial Psalm

The responsorial psalm, a constituent of the Liturgy of the word, is a scripture passage

principally drawn from the book of Psalms or other passages in the bible that are songlike. It was

introduced by the Second Vatican Council to replace Gradual (which was sung after bible

readings) so as to encourage active participation of the congregation at Mass. Leonard asserts:

The renewal of Roman Catholic worship following the Second Vatican Council

(1962-65) was marked by increased participation in acts of worship by the

congregation, including the use of psalms between the Scripture readings.

Catholic musicians soon produced a wealth of "responsorial psalms", in which

 one verse is selected as an introduction and refrain (antiphon) to be sung by the

congregation, with other verses sung by a cantor.7

The responsorial psalm is taken after the first bible reading of the Mass. Moroney describes the

responsorial psalm as “an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word and holds great liturgical and

pastoral importance, because it fosters meditation on the word of God”. 8 The responsorial psalm

helps the congregation to meditate on the first reading, thus, the lyrics of the psalm usually

coincides with the message of the first reading. The responsorial psalm is a part of the Mass that

calls for active participation of the congregation. Consequently, it is structured to have a short

line (response) that the congregation can easily memorize and repeat after the cantor or choir has

introduced it. Though the responsorial psalm can be recited, it is best when it is sung. Moroney

asserts: “It is preferable that the responsorial psalm be sung, at least as far as the people’s

response is concerned”. 9 The preference for singing to reciting the responsorial psalm is as a

result of the efficacy of the use of music in the liturgy. Music helps the worshipers to attain lofty

heights in their communication with God. According to Harmon:

Music possesses a power to make the liturgical text and rite more efficacious. In

essence what the music does is facilitate the assembly’s ability to enter into the

rite and surrender to its demands.10

The music for responsorial psalm, led by a cantor(s)/psalmist(s) or the choir, requires simplicity

especially at the response. This is to enable the congregation to learn and memorize the tune

(response) quickly so as to sing it when due. The importance of the active participation of the

7
Richard C. Leonard, “Singing the Psalms: A Brief History of Psalmody” Laudemont Ministries.
http://www.laudemont.org/a-stp.htm (Accessed July 22, 2011).
8
James P. Moroney, General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Washington D.C.: United States Catholic
Conference Inc., 2003), 25.
9
Ibid. 26
10
Kathleen Harmon, Roman Catholic Theology of Liturgical Music. www.naal-liturgy.org (Accessed July 20, 2011)
congregation in the responsorial psalm gives credence to Harmon’s postulation that “the most

important form of liturgical music is the singing of the assembly”. 11

Responsorial Psalm Tunes in Nigerian Roman Catholic Churches.

Responsorial psalm tunes used in most Roman Catholic Churches in Nigeria are usually

composed/arranged by the choirmaster or the cantor/chorister who leads the responsorial psalm.

The tunes can either be (a) new compositions or (b) adaptation of existing tunes to the text of the

psalm.

(a) New compositions: There is as a dearth of published books containing psalm tunes for use in

Nigerian Roman Catholic Churches. Hence, the choirmaster, whose duties include providing

music to be used during the Mass, has the responsibility of composing music for the responsorial

psalm whenever it is meant to be sung. The choirmaster usually composes the tune for the psalm

and teaches whoever is assigned to lead the congregation (cantor) in the singing of the psalm. A

choirmaster who is not able to compose may seek assistance from his choristers or neighboring

choirmasters who can compose. These new compositions can either be oral compositions or

written compositions. This writer has discovered that the responsorial psalm has become a

guinea pig for potential composers in Catholic Churches in Nigeria as first attempts at

composition are experimented with it. The musical qualities of these new compositions vary a

great deal. This is largely due to the musical (compositional) capability of the composer

(choirmaster/cantor/chorister).

(b) Adaptation of existing tunes to the text of the psalm: the choirmaster/cantor, when bereft

of compositional ideas, often tries to adapt the text of the responsorial psalm to already existing

11
Ibid.
tunes of sacred music. These tunes can be drawn from popular gospel music, hymns, Gregorian

chants, etc. popular among the congregation so as to enable them to participate actively in the

singing of the psalm. Some parishes (like St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos; St.

Anthony’s Catholic Church, Gbaja, Lagos; St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, Iwaya, Lagos; etc.)

use tunes from the Anglican chants for responsorial psalm (usually the single chant and double

chant tunes). When using a single chant the tune is used for both the response and the verses.

When using a double chant the second half of the tune is used for the response while the full

chant is used for the verses. Some cantors employ the use of secular music tunes for the

responsorial psalm. Secular music tunes, when used for responsorial psalm create mixed

reactions from the congregation – some favor it while some loathe it. Those in favor are usually

of the opinion that adapting secular music for sacred use makes the secular music sacred while

those who do not favor it see it as a distraction from the sacredness of worship as the secular

tunes remind them of the profane lyrics originally used for the secular tunes. This writer is of the

opinion that when adapting existing tunes to the lyrics of the responsorial psalm, sacred tunes –

either popular gospel music tunes or hymn tunes – should be used. Secular music tunes should be

sparingly used.

Forms of Responsorial Psalm Tunes

The structure of responsorial psalm calls for the use of repetitive forms of music. The

responsorial psalm is structured in a manner in which a response is introduced by a cantor for the

congregation to learn, thereafter, the response will be repeated at the end of every verse. The

number of verses for responsorial psalms varies depending on the length of the psalm but the

least number of verses is two. The response can be referred to as an ‘A’ section (in already

established Western musical forms) which will always be repeated in the course of the

performance.
Musical forms used for responsorial psalms in Nigerian Roman Catholic Churches largely

depend on arrangement of the text of the psalm i.e. the number of lines found in each of the

verses. Some responsorial psalms have equal number of lines while others do not. When the

number of lines in each of the verses is the same the same tune are often used for each of the

verses. Sometimes the meter in each of the lines may not be the same even when the number of

lines is the same. When the number of lines in each of the verses are not the same different tunes

are used for each of the verses while the response is repeated after each verse. Therefore, the

forms used for responsorial psalms in Nigerian Roman Catholic Churches include: (i) Strophic

form (ii) Ternary form (iii) Rondo form.

(i) Strophic Responsorial Form: this entails the use of the same tune for different verses of the

responsorial psalm. After the response to the psalm has been introduced by the cantor/choir for

the congregation to learn and sing, the verses are then sung one after the other by the cantor with

the response coming in between the verses. The tune used for the response is usually an

extraction from the tune used for the verses. In this case the response is not regarded as ‘A’

section, but a part of it. Sometimes the same tune may be used for both the response and verses;

in this case the tune may pass for the ‘A’ section. The strophic form is often used for

responsorial psalms with the same number of lines in the verses. The number of syllables in each

line may vary but the words are adjusted to the tune. Sometimes when responsorial psalms

employ the strophic form the congregation tends to join the cantor in singing the other verses

after the cantor must have sung the first verse. This, indeed, is more active participation of the
congregation in the liturgy. Below is an example of a responsorial psalm that can be set to

strophic form: Dewis.12

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Psalm 32:4-5. 18-20. 22.

Response: May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

1.) The word of the Lord is faithful

and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.

2.) The Lord looks on those who revere him,

On those who hope in his love,
To rescue their soul from death,
to keep them alive in famine.

3.) Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

The lord is our help and our shield.
May your love be upon us, O Lord.
As we place all our hope in you.

The meter for the verses of the psalm above, therefore, will be:

Verse one 8.8.7.7.

Verse two 9.7.7.8.

Verse three 8.8.9.8.

12
John P. Dewis, The Sunday Missal (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006), 681.
From the above it will be observed that each of the verses have four lines but the metric lines are

not the same in the verses. Therefore, the rhythm of the music will be slightly adjusted after the

first verse has been taken in order to accommodate other verses.

(ii) Rondo Form: this involves the establishment of a tune to be used for the response by the

cantor while different tunes are used for different verses of the responsorial psalm. The response

is repeated after each of the verses. The response serves as the ‘A’ section while the verses serve

as the episodes (B, C, D, etc.). The rondo form is often used for responsorial psalms that do not

have the same number of lines in each of the verses. The congregation’s participation in the

rondo form of responsorial psalms is only in the ‘A’ section. This is simply because other

sections (B, C, D, etc.) have different tunes that the congregation may not be conversant with.

The A section could be likened to the ripieno while other section could be likened to the

concertino, both of the concerto grosso of the baroque period. Below is an example of a

responsorial psalm that can be set to rondo form: Dewis.13

The Nativity of our Lord, Midnight Mass

Psalm 95:1-3. 11-13. R/ Luke 2:11.
Response: Today a saviour has been born to us; he is Christ the Lord.

1.) O sing a new song to the Lord,

sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

2.) Proclaim his help day by day,

tell among the nation his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.

13
Ibid. 132 – 133.
 3.) Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad,
let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of the Lord for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth.

4.) With justice he will rule the world,

he will judge the peoples with his truth.

From the above it will be observed that verses one and two both have three lines each but the

meter varies. The meter for verse one is 8.7.8. while verse two is 7.9.10. Verse three has six lines

with 11.11.9.9.9.6. as the meter while verse four has two lines with 8.9. as the meter. With the

variety of lines and meters that are found in this responsorial psalm, the rondo form is inevitable

as no tune may be able to serve all the divergent verses.

(iii) Extended Ternary Form (A B A B1 A B2 A): this form, though it looks like a rondo

because of the presence of a principal theme and episodes, may not be considered as rondo. It

can be said to be two or more ternary forms coming one after the other, i.e. A B A + A B1 A + A

B2 A equals A B A B1 A B2 A; the second ‘A’ of each of the groups of ternary is the same as the

first in the next group, thus, performed simultaneously. The episodes in the extended ternary

form are variations of the first episode. The ‘A’ is the response while the ‘B’ (first episode) is the

first verse. ‘B1’ and ‘B2’ (second and third episodes) are the second and third verses respectively

which are variations of ‘B’. It is important to note that the ‘B1’ and ‘B2’ sections are not

independent tunes but a slight variation of ‘B’. It may also be structured as A B A B A B A when

there are no variations of the first episode. This form is often used for responsorial psalms with

the same number of lines in each of the verses. In this form the tune for the response is different
from the tune for the verses. The tune for the verses is the same, though may be modified

because of the variation in the syllabic meter.

Responsorial Psalms in Nigerian Languages (Vernacular)

With the translation of the Roman missal from English to some Nigerian languages – like Igbo,

Hausa, Yoruba – responsorial psalms in Nigerian languages for all the seasons of the Church’s

calendar subsequently abound. Most Nigerian languages (if not all) are tonal in nature. For

example, an Igbo word could mean different things depending on the intonation. This is well

exemplified in Ekwueme. 14 Therefore, the tonal nature of Nigerian languages calls for special

treatment when composing psalm tunes for them. According to Ekwueme “a word (or group of

words) must be properly intoned for the true meaning to be conveyed and understood”.15 The

use of the strophic form for responsorial psalms in Nigerian languages may be problematic if the

true meaning of the words is to be conveyed and understood. This is because the meaning of the

words may be conveyed and understood in the response and the first verse but may not be so in

other verses. However, a cantor with a very good understanding of the nuances of the vernacular

language he/she is singing in may be able to use the strophic form effectively if he/she varies the

tune in order to take care of the problems of tonal inflection. The rondo form and the extended

ternary form are more effective for responsorial psalms in Nigerian languages.

Summary/Conclusion

The responsorial psalm is a part of the Roman Catholic liturgy that calls for active participation

of the congregation. It is led by a cantor while the congregation sings at the response. There are

very limited books with tunes for responsorial psalm in Nigerian Roman Catholic Churches. As a

14
Laz E. N. Ekwueme, Essays on the Theory of African Music (Lagos: LENAUS Publishing Ltd., 2004), 227 – 233.
15
Laz E. N. Ekwueme, Essays on African and African-American Music and Culture (Lagos: LENAUS Publishing
Ltd., 2004), 212.
result choirmasters, cantors, and choristers have been making efforts to get tunes for the

responsorial psalm. These tunes are either newly composed or adaptation of existing tunes to the

lyrics of the psalm. They are usually in strophic form, rondo form, or through composed form.

The choice of form largely depends on the length of the lines in each of the verses of the psalm

and or the length of the syllables in each of the lines. The use of the strophic form may be

problematic for responsorial psalms in Nigerian languages due to the tonal nature of Nigerian

languages; however, good understanding of the nuances of the language can salvage the

problem.

The responsorial psalm may broadly by likened to a call and refrain form. The cantor takes the

call while the congregation gives the refrain. Therefore, the simplicity of the tune for the

response allows the congregation to easily learn their part and, thus, participate actively in

singing the responsorial psalm.

 Bibliography

Agbo, Ben. “Inculturation in Nigerian Church Music: Positive and Negative Developmental
Trends.” A Paper presented at the International Conference of the Institute of African
Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 2011.

Dewis, John P. The Sunday Missal. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.

Ekwueme, L.E.N. Essays on African and African-American Music and Culture. Lagos:
LENAUS Publishing Ltd., 2004.

Ekwueme, Laz E. N. Essays on the Theory of African Music. Lagos: LANAUS Publishing Ltd.,
2004

Fortescue, Adrian. “Liturgy of the Mass” The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert
Appleton Company, 1910. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09790b.htm (Accessed 20
July, 2011).

Harmon, Kathleen. Roman Catholic Theology of Liturgical Music. www.naal-liturgy.org

(Accessed 20 July, 2011), 2002.

Jacobs, Arthur. A New Dictionary of Music. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd., 1967.

Leonard, Richard. C. “Singing the Psalms: A Brief History of Psalmody.” Laudemont Ministries,
2011. http://www.laudemont.org/a-stp.htm (Accessed 22 July, 2011).

Moroney, James Patrick. General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Washington, D.C.: United
States Catholic Conference, Inc., 2003.

Pen, Ronald. Introduction to Music: New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.

Powers, Joseph M. "Mass (religion)." Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA:
Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

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