Chrism Mass (OF): new compositions for Introit
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 966
    Browsing through the booklets for the celebration of Chrism Mass at the Vatican, I noticed that the last couple of years several different compositions have been used at the Introit.

    Prior to 2011, the following setting was used:

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    Then, in 2011 and 2012, the following antiphon appeared, which is not found in the Roman Gradual:

    image

    From 2013 onwards, the text from the Roman Missal was set to the following music:

    image

    I sense a recent tendency at the Vatican to use the texts from the Roman Missal set to neo-Gregorian melodies, even when the Roman Gradual prescribes another chant (in this case the introit Dilexisti). Where are these melodies from? Who is composing them? Should we follow this example set by the Vatican at a parochial level?
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen igneus
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,151
    Interesting observations ... and intriguing question!

    It does seem as if the chant at the Vatican is becoming more neo-Gregorian than Gregorian.
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 354
    "Should we follow this example set by the Vatican at a parochial level?"

    Do you mean to compose neo-gregorian chants at a parochial level? :)
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 966
    Haha. No, I mean using neo-Gregorian compositions of the Missal texts (if they are available) instead of the Graduale chants.
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    Very interesting indeed, Steven. Thank you for your valuable investigative work here.

    It would be interesting to find out who is behind this neo-Gregorian composition. There are certainly many well-trained Gregorianists in Rome who would be competent in taking up the task.

    I feel that we are perhaps finally at a point, in regard to chant research and knowledge, where new compositions could come forth that would be of value and that would be consonant with the authentic Gregorian corpus. This wasn't possible in the 19th century, as the research hadn't been done and there wasn't enough time for the knowledge to be developed. We are in a very different age today, though.

    It might be better to complete the "more critical edition" of the Graduale Romanum first, though, before any substantial effort is put toward neo-Gregorian composition.
    Thanked by 3Ben smvanroode CHGiffen
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    I expanded my thought on this here:

    http://www.chantcafe.com/2014/04/singing-mass-antiphons-at-home-and-in.html
  • henrik.hank
    Posts: 103
    how many different introits are there for chrism mass?
  • Andris Amolins
    Posts: 152
    "Facies unctionis" is the introit composed for the 1955 Holy Week reform. It is in GR 1961 and Liber usualis. Since the Chrism Mass as a separate Mass formulary is a novelty in the Roman rite (first introduced in 1955) and it was reformed again mere 14 years later (with the principle of alius cantus aptus already in vigor), there is no established tradition yet, not even in Vatican.
    Thanked by 3smvanroode CHGiffen igneus
  • Andris Amolins
    Posts: 152
    Where is the dividing line between gregorian and neo-gregorian. New pieces have been composed throughout the history of the gregorian chant (though with varying rate) testifying that it is a living tradition rather than a museum piece. It has been done both by adapting existing melodies or by composing new ones. The 'neo-gregorian' started to be frowned upon just at the time when it in fact became virtually a museum piece. And even then composition did not cease completely. With the Liber hymnarius we got a whole bunch of new hymns by Dom Lentini.
    So I look favorably to new compositions in principle, provided that they "gregorianam sapiunt".
    Of the first piece above ("Fecisti nos") I am not so sure if it does.
    The new one ("Jesus Christus fecit") looks like modeled mainly on Introit "Loquebar" with the end part stitched from different pieces (e.g. "Domine, refugium", "Cantemus", may be yet another source).
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen smvanroode Aristotle Esguerra
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