Q: GIRM 40 has: “However, in the choosing of the parts actually to be sung, preference is to be given to those that are of greater importance and especially to those which are to be sung by the Priest or the Deacon or a reader, with the people replying, or by the Priest and people together.” 

This means a high priority for the Priest to be singing “Behold the Lamb of God …” and the people singing the response “Lord, I am not worthy …”. The English translation Roman Missal provides music for this. It is on ICEL’s website athttps://icelweb.org/musicfolder/Communion.pdf with the heading “Invitation to Communion”. 

There would be lower priority for singing “Lamb of God”, since the Priest does not lead it. GIRM 83 has: “The supplication Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) is usually sung by the choir or cantor with the congregation replying; or at least recited aloud.” A lower priority for singing the Communion Chant, since the Priest cannot be singing it. 

But in Masses with singing, I see nearly all with a sung “Lamb of God” and Communion song, hardly any with the sung dialogue between these.

1967 Musicam Sacram n. 28 is explicit about this being a problem. It assigned dialogues to the first degree, Agnus Dei to the second degree and the Communion Song to the third degree. It has: “the first may always be used without the others, but the second and third never without the first”. 

A speech you gave in 2013 has: “Chant is scarce. … However, the sung dialogues that appear in the missal are examples of chants that have endured and are still quite usable. … We have a golden opportunity now that the principal dialogues have a common musical setting in all English language Roman Missals throughout the world.” (Page 8 of https://paulturner.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/1_SC_music_and_participation_website_copy.pdf ).

But there are arguments that the English translation of the Roman Missal should not have music for “Behold the Lamb of God”. The GIRM does not mention singing it, the way it discusses singing the “Lamb of God”. Graduale Simplex has settings for “Agnus Dei” at 37, 42, 47, 52, 53, 58 and 59. It has no setting for singing “Ecce Agnus Dei”. In Australia, the 2016 “Catholic Worship Book II Peoples Edition” does not include “Behold the Lamb of God”. There is no mention of singing “Behold the Lamb of God” in the 1974 Ordo cantus Missae. 1975 Passim quaeritur “on the music for inclusion in vernacular editions of the Roman Missal” does not include it (Documents on the Liturgy, n. 4314).

Should it be sung?

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A: GIRM 40 indicates that singing dialogues is preferred, not required. In some communities the priest and people sing well, and the dialogues enhance the liturgy. In other communities sung participation is weak. The choice of singing “Behold the Lamb” may be determined in the local community.