Sequence (musical form)

A sequence (Latin: sequentia, plural: sequentiae) is a chant or hymn sung or recited during the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations, before the proclamation of the Gospel. By the time of the Council of Trent (1543–1563) there were sequences for many feasts in the Church's year.

The sequence had always been sung directly before the Gospel, after the Alleluia.^[1] The 2002 edition of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, however, reversed the order and places the sequence before the Alleluia.^[2]

The form of this chant inspired a genre of Latin poetry written in a non-classical metre, often on a sacred Christian subject, which is also called a sequence.

^ To be precise, the sequence came between the second and third sections of the "alleluia." See Rubricæ Generales Missalis Romani (1960) n.470, Retrieved 14 June 2006.
^ Turner, Paul (2006). Let Us Pray: A Guide to the Rubrics of Sunday Mass. Pueblo Books / Liturgical Press. p. 70. ISBN 9780814662137. Retrieved 26 April 2011. See Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine (2002) n.64, Retrieved 14 June 2006.

[1] To be precise, the sequence came between the second and third sections of the "alleluia." See Rubricæ Generales Missalis Romani (1960) n.470, Retrieved 14 June 2006.

[2] Turner, Paul (2006). Let Us Pray: A Guide to the Rubrics of Sunday Mass. Pueblo Books / Liturgical Press. p. 70. ISBN 9780814662137. Retrieved 26 April 2011. See Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine (2002) n.64, Retrieved 14 June 2006.

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