high mass/low mass

[Melkite]

As an Eastern Catholic, i don't have much experience with TLMs, so could someone explain to me what the main differences are between high masses and low masses?

[CanadianCatholic]

As an Eastern Catholic, i don't have much experience with TLMs, so could someone explain to me what the main differences are between high masses and low masses?

HIgh Mass is sung, so its longer
Low Mass is just said..its about 20-30 minutes shorter, depending on your priest and choir

[Baskerville]

As an Eastern Catholic, i don't have much experience with TLMs, so could someone explain to me what the main differences are between high masses and low masses?

HIgh Mass is sung, so its longer
Low Mass is just said..its about 20-30 minutes shorter, depending on your priest and choir

I think incense is a factor too. I have been to one high Mass and the rest have all been low Masses and the Priest used incense at the High Mass but not in any of the low Masses.

[moneil]

There are others here more knowledgeable in this area, but from what I was taught in pre VII parochial school and as an altar server back then, and also from what I've read, the variations of the pre Vatican Council II liturgy were:

The Solemn Mass, also called a Solemn High Mass, which is a sung Mass offered by a priest assisted by a sub-deacon and deacon (or, usually, other priests filling the roles of the deacon and sub-deacon).  If it is the principal Mass of the day in a parish, the Asperges rite (sprinkling with Holy Water) is used.  Incense is used at the beginning, at the Gospel, the Offertory, and the Consecration.  This was originally considered the normative manner for celebrating the Mass.

The Low Mass is a recited Mass, with a minimum of ceremony, and no incense.  Its original purpose was for a priest to be able to celebrate a private Mass for his intentions, when he wasn't scheduled to celebrate a public Mass, which would have been a Solemn Mass.  This was necessitated because the West did not retain (I'm not sure of the reasons) the tradition of concelebration, as did the Eastern Church.  Concelebration has been restored in the Missal of Paul VI.  From what I've read, the Low Mass was never intended to be a public liturgy, the tradition being that the Liturgy should be sung, but it eventually morphed into a public liturgy (perhaps that is an organic development, but not a good one, I wouldn't think.

A Sung Mass, or Missa Cantata was a Mass sung by a priest without the assistance of a deacon and sub-deacon.  Incense was not used, as the rubric for it's use involved the deacon and sub-deacon.  I'm unsure if the Asperges rite was originally used with a Missa Cantata.

A High Mass is a more modern format (I almost want to say 19th to early 20th century, but I can't find a reference ~ I'm thinking it may have been introduced by St. Pius X, as he made many changes to the rubrics of the Missal) and is a Missa Cantata with incense (handled by an altar server), and the Asperges rite is used at the principal Mass of the day.

Taking the liberty of offering an editorial observation (or comment  ), in a former town of residence my neighborhood included a small Greek Orthodox Mission parish.  Through some circumstances I became acquainted with the priest and presvytera who traveled 350 miles one way twice a month to serve the mission.  As I am an Ordinary Form (or Novus Ordo, if you prefer) Roman Catholic, and the Church discipline which I am under and recognize permits me to attend an Orthodox Liturgy on occasion, for appropriate reasons, I use to visit a few times a year the St. Nectarios Mission, as I loved their Liturgy.  Without choir, or even altar servers, and often with only 6 - 12 people in the congregation, with Presvytera Sophorina serving as cantor (and all of the few people participating), Fr. Anthony would offer a sung Divine Liturgy in three languages (English, Greek, and Slavonic), with incense at all of the indicated places, in about 1 hour and 15 minutes, including a sermon.  After that experience, I've never understood, or accepted, the idea that the Low Mass should ever be a public Liturgy, and, if the Latin Rite would not provide for concelebration (which the East does, the Novus Ordo does, but the pre VII understanding of current tradition does not at the moment), then the Low Mass should serve it's original function in tradition of being a priest's private Mass.  I don't see any reason or excuse as to why EVERY public Latin Rite Mass shouldn't be sung, with incense.  If the Greeks can do it ..., just saying ... but that's just my personal rant .

[CanadianCatholic]

As an Eastern Catholic, i don't have much experience with TLMs, so could someone explain to me what the main differences are between high masses and low masses?

HIgh Mass is sung, so its longer
Low Mass is just said..its about 20-30 minutes shorter, depending on your priest and choir

I think incense is a factor too. I have been to one high Mass and the rest have all been low Masses and the Priest used incense at the High Mass but not in any of the low Masses.

Ive been to both more times then I can remember! I usually go to high mass, as its later, so i get a lil extra sleep  Your right on the incense. Theres alot more ceremony and such at a high mass.

[cgraye]

"High Mass" is a tricky term, because it is used to refer to two different things.

First of all, "Solemn Mass" is a Mass celebrated with a deacon and subdeacon, and it is sung.

"Low Mass" has no deacon or subdeacon, and it is spoken, not sung.

A "Sung Mass" has no deacon or subdeacon, but it is sung.  So it is a sort of compromise between Solemn Mass and Low Mass.

Now the tricky thing is that some people use "High Mass" to refer to Solemn Mass, and some people use "High Mass" to refer to Sung Mass (or even both).  Personally, I have always associated the term with Solemn Mass, but it varies.

[The_Harlequin_King]

The most accurate colloquial terms for the three forms of Mass with a priest are just as cgraye suggested:

-Solemn Mass (incense, music, deacon and subdeacon, six lighted candles)

-Sung Mass (music, no deacon and subdeacon, incense optional, four or six lighted candles)

-Low Mass (no deacon and subdeacon, no music, no incense, two lighted candles)


Sung Mass began in the 17th-18th centuries as merely an indult for missionary countries where parishes with only one priest could still enjoy some of the solemnity of Masses that were typical in Europe. The U.S. is still definitely a missionary country, and will be until every normal parish has at least three clerics in major orders.

Incense at Sung Mass was also a separate indult granted for very special days. But it eventually became mainstream for Sundays.

[moneil]

quote author=The_Harlequin_King link=topic=3425384.msg33175363#msg33175363 date=1257527816]
The most accurate colloquial terms for the three forms of Mass with a priest are just as cgraye suggested:

-Solemn Mass (incense, music, deacon and subdeacon, six lighted candles)

-Sung Mass (music, no deacon and subdeacon, incense optional, four or six lighted candles)

-Low Mass (no deacon and subdeacon, no music, no incense, two lighted candles)


Sung Mass began in the 17th-18th centuries as merely an indult for missionary countries where parishes with only one priest could still enjoy some of the solemnity of Masses that were typical in Europe. The U.S. is still definitely a missionary country, and will be until every normal parish has at least three clerics in major orders.

Incense at Sung Mass was also a separate indult granted for very special days. But it eventually became mainstream for Sundays.
[/quote]

cgraye and Harlequin_k have summed it up well, and I appreciate HK's added details.  cgray is correct in that High Mass" is a tricky term, because it is used to refer to two different things..  Sung Mass, or Missa Cantanta were terms that I had not "heard" growing up, only from reading.  The normative phrases were Solemn High Mass (with deacon and sub-deacon), High Mass, and Low Mass. Our High Masses always had incense, and the Asperges, as appropriate  I'm not sure I've ever been to a Solemn High Mass, and I've never served one ~ the only way most rual eastern WA parishes could have had one would be if the Bishop came to town with an crew.  We also had 6 -  8 candles at a High Mass: the three large "High Mass" candles on each side of the tabernacle were always lite ~ depending on the particular priest the two "Low Mass" candles were either lite also, not lite, or removed from the altar.  Incense was always used at a High Mass, but, from my memory, it seems like at what places during the Mass it was used varied, depending on the priest.

Father Cekada had an interesting piece here (post or link), which I can't find at the moment) about the liturgical sloppiness of the pre Vatican II 1950's era, which agreed with my recollection of that time.

Personally, I'd like to see the Low Mass (TLM) go away as much as I would the typical Novus Ordo Mass, as neither are really appropriate for the public worship of God.  But then, maybe I'm just influenced by having to have served too many slam, bam, get 'er done as fast as you can Low Masses in my youth. 

[The_Harlequin_King]

Wanting the low Mass to disappear from parish life entirely is a little extreme for me, though certainly, I think it's almost sinful for a church that regularly celebrates the TLM to have only low Masses on Sunday. The local SSPX chapel here is low Mass only; one would think that by now, they would have the resources to orchestrate a sung Mass. Sadly, the diocesan TLM appears to be reverting to low Mass only as well.

[moneil]

Wanting the low Mass to disappear from parish life entirely is a little extreme for me, though certainly, I think it's almost sinful for a church that regularly celebrates the TLM to have only low Masses on Sunday. The local SSPX chapel here is low Mass only; one would think that by now, they would have the resources to orchestrate a sung Mass. Sadly, the diocesan TLM appears to be reverting to low Mass only as well.

Yeah, it is a little extreme  , but I agree, routinely using the Low Mass as the principal act of public worship is lame ~ kinda like we just can't be bothered to offer God our human best.  Sorta like having distinguished guests over for dinner and using paper plates and plastic cups and cutlery because one doesn't want to be bothered washing their nice china, silver and crystal.

As I had been an altar server, and also in the parochial school choir, and familiar with how a High Mass was typically done, for a long time I fell for the excuse that unless there was an organist, choir, and at least 5 altar servers, nothing more than a Low Mass was possible.

After seeing how the Greeks manage to do it ~ the Mass can be sung a capella (what do people think they did before the pipe organ was invented  ); the people can learn to sing the greek and latin (and they manage to sing the Benediction hymns without a choir, why not at Mass  ); it could be done with even just one server ~ busy boy he'd be, but it could be done.

Just saying ...  maybe God deserves a little more effort, and less modernist minimalism.

[NonSumDignus]

Wanting the low Mass to disappear from parish life entirely is a little extreme for me, though certainly, I think it's almost sinful for a church that regularly celebrates the TLM to have only low Masses on Sunday. The local SSPX chapel here is low Mass only; one would think that by now, they would have the resources to orchestrate a sung Mass. Sadly, the diocesan TLM appears to be reverting to low Mass only as well.

I agree. At the TLM I'm attending now, we have Sung Mass every other week, and our choir consists of only three people! Still, it's sufficient.

[Arun]

our SSPX parish has High Mass and two low Masses every Sunday, and three low Masses on weekdays, with sung or High Masses on most holydays.

[SaintSebastian]

There's also more kneeling and less standing at a Low Mass.