A Brief History and Use of Sequences in the Liturgy

The use of the Sequence at Mass is usually limited to twice a year – Easter and Pentecost – yet it possesses a rich history and much meditative value. The sequence is generally thought to have begun, as a genre of poetry, around the Ninth Century, when Roman chant was flourishing and spreading throughout Europe. As Roman chant was intended primarily as a musical meditation upon the Word of God, so the Sequences at Mass were intended as musical, meditative extensions of the Alleluia verse. This is most clearly seen in the Sequences for Easter Sunday and Pentecost. The Alleluia verse of Easter Sunday is, “Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed; let us then feast with joy in the Lord.” The Sequence would then build on this theme with its opening lines, “Christians, to the Paschal Victim / Offer your thankful praises!” (Lectionary for Mass, no. 42). Similarly, the Alleluia verse for Pentecost begins with the same words as its Sequence, “Come, Holy Spirit” (no. 63). The optional Sequence for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, Stabat Mater dolorosa, connects on a more somber note to its associated Alleluia verse, “Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary… beneath the Cross of the Lord” (no. 639). 

As a non–biblical composition, the Sequence was not limited to the Mass, but was also composed for use in the Divine Office. For the various Hours, it served in place of the verse after the responsory following one of the longer readings; it was also employed in place of the hymn at Vespers or Compline, or used during a procession. The Te Deum is the most prominent Sequence that remains for the Liturgy of the Hours today. 

Prior to the Missale Romanum of St. Pius V (1570), there were hundreds of these non–biblical Sequences used in the liturgy. In certain places within the western Church, a proper Sequence was employed for nearly every Sunday and holy day of the year, with the exception of the period from Septuagesima (beginning two weeks before Lent) to Easter, when the Alleluia and Sequence were replaced by the Tract. 

The 1570 Missale Romanum limited the number of Sequences to four: 

 Victimæ paschali laudes – Easter Sunday 

 Veni, Sancte Spiritus – Pentecost Sunday (Mass during the Day) 

 Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem – Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 

 Dies iræ – Requiem Masses 

(A fifth Sequence, Stabat Mater dolorosa, was added to the Missal in 1727 by Pope Benedict XIII for the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.) Historically, the Sequence was sung ante ultimum Alleluia vel post tractum (before the last Alleluia or after the Tract; cf. Missale Romanum of 1962, General Rubrics of the Roman Missal, no. 470). 

Normally, an Alleluia would be sung, followed by a verse and a concluding Alleluia. The Sequence was inserted after the verse and before the last Alleluia. The 1974 Graduale Romanum changed this to post ultimum Alleluia (after the last 27 Alleluia). Both positionings of the Sequence allowed it to act as an extension of the Alleluia verse and as processional chant for a more solemn procession with the Book of the Gospels. Current 

Use of Sequences 

In the liturgy after the Second Vatican Council, the Dies iræ is no longer found in the Missal, but limited to an optional hymn in the Liturgy of the Hours for All Souls Day on November 2 and during the Thirty–Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (the former option is found in the ICEL edition in English, the latter in the Latin editio typica). 

Only Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday require the Sequence. On Pentecost, the Sequence is prescribed only at Mass during the Day and not at the Vigil Mass. (If the Pentecost “Mass during the Day” formulary is used at the Saturday evening anticipatory Mass instead of the Vigil Mass formulary, then the Sequence is used.) The Sequence Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem, composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, is optional for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). A shorter form of the Sequence may be used which consists of the final four stanzas. Stabat Mater dolorosa is permitted as an option for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. (The Graduale Romanum, which is published by the Benedictine house of Solesmes, includes an additional Sequence which Benedictine houses may use for the July 11 feast of St. Benedict: Laeta dies.) 

The 2011 General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 64, specifies that the Sequence is now to be sung before the Alleluia. Its placement today preserves a stronger connection between the Alleluia and the Gospel, and transforms the Sequence into a more contemplative meditation on the mystery of the day in preparation for the Gospel. The assembly remains seated, in a posture of meditation, for the Sequence, and stands when the Alleluia is begun. As there are only two days of the calendar when the Sequence is required, it might be of pastoral benefit for the priest on these days to alert the faithful to the Sequence and its meditative purpose as part of the introduction to the liturgy at the beginning of Mass. An extended explanation of the nature and history of the Sequence might even be included in the parish bulletin as a form of liturgical catechesis. 

Translations and Musical Settings 

Poetic translations of the four Sequences for Mass are found in the Lectionary; prose versions were removed when the Lectionary was revised in 1998. The USCCB’s 2007 guidelines on liturgical music, Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, clarifies that other translations, which have received an imprimatur, are permissible: “The text from the Lectionary for Mass may be used, or a metrical paraphrase may be sung, provided that it is found in an approved collection of liturgical songs” (no. 166). Regarding musical settings, the Graduale Romanum provides a chant version using Mode I. Music publishers will often use the poetic text from the Lectionary combined with the chant setting from the Graduale (the Graduale Simplex uses the same Mode). It is, of course, permissible to use other settings with an approved translation, i.e., a translation with an imprimatur by the local Ordinary. Once an imprimatur is received, if the piece is to be published, since it is a musical setting of a particular liturgical text, it must be submitted to the Secretariat of Divine Worship for approval for liturgical use. When the Sequence is not adequately anticipated or prepared for by the pastor or the choir, it can be perceived as simply an “add on” to the liturgy, which could confuse or annoy rather than inspire and catechize. This need not be the case. There are a variety of ways in which the Sequences may be sung. Sing to the Lord, no. 166, notes: “The Sequence may be sung by all together, or in alternation between the congregation and choir and cantor, or by the choir or cantor alone.” Care should be taken to determine the manner and provide accordingly. While it may be recited (in which case the text should be ready to hand for the assembly), the Sequence is intended to be sung, and either the choir or assembly or both should be prepared for it. If presented and enacted effectively, the Sequence can draw the liturgical assembly more deeply into the mystery being celebrated on these central days of the liturgical year, and provide much imagery for reflection, meditation, and preaching. Although the Sequence is optional for Corpus Christi and Our Lady of Sorrows, its use on these days also, when well prepared, can endear and uplift the faithful with a more personal connection to the sacred mysteries.

Source: USCCB, Committee on Divine Worship Newsletter, Vol. XLVIII, July 2012