Qui cantat bis orat.

"He who sings prays twice." These words, often erroneously attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo, are actually a paraphrase or restatement of something he did say in his commentary on Psalm 72:1: "Qui enim cantat laudem, non solum laudat, sed etiam hilariter laudat; qui cantat laudem, non solum cantat, sed et amat eum quem cantat." ("For he who sings praise, not only praises but praises joyfully; he who sings praise, not only sings but also loves Him about whom he is singing.") Here is Father John Zuhlsdorf's discussion on this matter.

The norms for the people's participation in the various forms of both sung Masses and read Masses were set out by the Instruction "De Musica Sacra et Sacra Liturgia" ("On Sacred Music and the Sacred Liturgy") of the Sacred Congregation on Rites (3 September 1958).  "His Holiness, [the Venerable Pope Pius XII], deigned to approve [the Instruction] in its entirety and in all it parts. He commanded that it be promulgated and be conscientiously observed by all whom it concerns. Anything whatever to the contrary notwithstanding."

Click here to see the full English text of this Instruction.

Blessed Pope John XXIII issued a Motu Proprio Rubricarum instructum on 25 July 1960 by which he approved a new code of Rubrics of the Roman Breviary and Missal and ordered this new code of rubrics to be observed by all beginning 1 January 1961. This code of rubrics governs the 1962 Roman Missal and is printed in the preliminary pages of its typica editio and all of its editions authorized for use at the altar. Part 3 of the 1960 code of rubrics is entitled "General Rubrics of the Roman Missal," and No. 272, which reads as follows, expressly incorporates the Instruction "De Musica Sacra" (3 September 1958) as a part of the general rubrics of the 1962 Roman Missal:

272. Of its nature the Mass demands that all those present take part in it, after the manner proper to them.

A choice must be made, however, among the various ways in which the faithful may take part actively in the most holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in such a way that any danger of abuse may be removed, and the special aim of the participation may be realized, namely a fuller measure of worship offered to God and of edification obtained for the faithful.

This active participation of the faithful has been dealt with at greater length in the Instruction on Sacred Music and the Sacred Liturgy given by the Sacred Congregation of Rites on September 3, 1958.

This blog, of course, in promoting the full, conscious, and active participation of the faithful in Masses of the Extraordinary Form (that is, the so-called Traditional or Tridentine Latin Mass under the 1962 editio typica of the Roman Missal) desires to see, as does Mother Church herself, the greatest level of such active congregational participation in both sung Masses and read Masses. Sadly, however, where the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite has been reestablished in the United States all too often congregational participation is encouraged in sung Masses but discouraged and made impossible by the actions of celebrants in read Misses so that silent-spectator Low Masses predominate. Clearly this should not be the case. Cf. Cardinal Ratzinger's Address on the Tenth Anniversary of the Promulgation of the Moto Proprio "Ecclesia Dei."

For the reasons set out in the preceding paragraph, the greater emphasis of this blog is on the Low Mass offered as a Dialog Mass (in Latin, "Missa Dialogata" or "Missa Recitata"), and its name reflects that emphasis.