The chords the organist is using are in G major.

In general he is playing this: I, IV, I6, ii7 (each which maintains the tonic note). You really can go from any one chord to the other and it will provide support for the singing. Although, I would also use the relative minor (vi) for sections that speak about penance, sin, sorrow, etc., and then go back to the major key for the end.

What is MJM?

ncarbone93:

I'm afraid you have stumbled into one of the more ridiculous running gags on the Musica Sacra thread.

Several years ago, after a series of ever-more-simplified settings of the Propers were published, Matthew J. Meloche published a set of RECTO TONO PROPERS - fully notated in modern, five-line notation.

That is: MJM published a book that set the proper antiphons to melodies that only had one single note. Following this, MJM threatened to sue anyone who "copied" his "melodies."

Hilarity ensued.

Welcome to the Musica Sacra Forum, the silliest place on the internet*.




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*Comparison only includes other internet properties frequented by enthusiasts of Gregorian Chant.

Nick:

I forgot you don't understand music when I put my post in up above. Just hand that description to your organist. He should be able to decipher the musicspeak.

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I have no idea. I was just asking for some help.

To sing recto tono you sing on only one pitch throughout, which sounds easy to some people who are used to singing.

To those who are not, and hear interesting things going on in the organ, for example - plus not knowing how to start - does everyone sing from the beginning to the end? It seems - and can be complicated.

To start out, the organist or a person with a small pitch pipe plays the note that people are going to be singing,

In the case of the video the priest may have picked his own note - if so, the organist plays seem very soft notes to find the one that he has picked.

Then, when the celebrant has finished the introduction, the organist plays what is called a major chord with that note as its foundation. This means, if the priest has sung a C, the organist play a C chord.

At this point the organist can drop out entirely, hold just that chord OR play other chords that include C.

As our (also serious) brother Francis has said, they can also move to a C MINOR chord in the more serious or "sad" parts. There are members here that would be glad to write out some possible chords to be used.

The organ's role is to start the congregation singing and work like the pillars under a bridge to keep it in place.

Many, many choirs over the years have sung things using only one note, but you will find people here making fun of doing this, acting as if it is a "second-rate" thing to do.

It is by far better to sing recto toni (on a single reciting note) well than to sing a melodious chant poorly.

The strength and importance of singing recto toni competently by a choir is that in doing so, they are not struggling with different pitch intervals, instead they are learning to sing the rhythm of the words.

As a side note, I see antiphons composed for the English language that use a combination of lengthened and shortened notes - sort of like walking with crutches or skipping down the road. I am not comfortable with this for that kind of writing alters the rhythm of the words.

Singing Recto Tono (it is an honored practice and deserves the capitals) focuses on singing the words to their natural rhythms. Gregorian chant is based upon the word rhythms and from them additional notes may be added, but never in jagged - what are referred to as dotted rhythms of a long note followed by a very short one.

Recto Tono prepares you, your choir and your congregation for singing and is always the first step to learning to sing. The simple and yet beautiful Mass responses are recto toni sung with a note change of interest - and you will see that the note changes also emphasize the rhythm of the words.

In chant the words always, always come first.

In modern music the melody always, always comes first and the words - as in hymns - are often engineered to fit the music.

In the chant music of the church, being of the church and not the world where we arrange and fit things together to our liking, the sacred words also ways come first.

I think that your request for videos of people singing the Creed Recto Tono in both Latin and in English would be a great resource so that you and others could observe, learn and adapt to this very important step in singing the Mass.

Thank you for your question - coming from a Seminarian, it shows that there is a chance for great music of the church to return through people like you!

There was a song about "children are our future". For us seminarians ARE our future.

Feel free to contact me privately <noel@frogmusic.com. for help - I know that there are others here who will post their emails for you and others as well.

This thread reminds me that Ted Marier composed organ accompaniments for recto tono settings of the Confiteor, Gloria, and Creed (English texts from the previous version of the Roman Missal) that appear in his acclaimed hymnal, Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Canticles. Very creative harmonizations!

I believe that the setting of the Gloria had been previously published by the Composers' Forum for Catholic Worship in 1974. Interesting that the copyright notice on this copy states that "Theodore Marier places this work in the public domain." Not sure if that was revoked when the hymnal was published.

By the way, and off topic... the Composers Forum for Catholic Worship (1971-1976) was quite forward-looking, and included pieces by Richard Proulx, Flor Peeters, Jean Langlais, Theophane Hytrek, Eugene Englert, and Howard Hughes, among others. The Forum was the brainchild of Robert Blanchard of Sugar Creek, Missouri, and the music was published on a subscription basis. It's interesting that the Forum's stationery stated: "Formally recognized by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on the Liturgy as a Center of Liturgical Research, September 12, 1971."

After the Composers Forum for Catholic Worship ceased publication, some of the compositions were reprinted by GIA Publications, but most are, unfortunately, out of print.

Recto tono is the beginning of song, and is, therefore, more to be desired than speech, 'yea, more even than much fine' speech. This manner of accompanying recto tono on the organ is rather old hat to some. It is a not uncommon way of singing the creed in some Anglican circles. It's even, I'm ashamed to say, the way we sing the creed at Walsingham, even though the Englished Gregorian chant one in the 1940 would be well known by many of our people. Improvising a chordal accompaniment for recto tono (if one just must have it), is quite elementary.

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Think of the children, who's thinking of the CHILDREN?!?
Oh, the humanity.....

SNOOPER PROTECTOR

NO ROOTER PROSPECT

PROTEST NOTER CO-OP

POST CROONER TROPE

POOR ROTTEN CORPSE

These are excellent potential forum monikers.

What the choristers did whilst having a ball:

TORE TORN POP SCORE

ncarbone 93- Check your private messages.

Meanwhile, I seem to recall that accompanying recto tono chant has a tradition with the Anglicans, and some talented organists could employ rich harmonies underneath the chants.

In the Lalande library there is a Kyriale by Dr. Franz Xaver Mathias that has reciting harmonies. They were used for the recto tono repetition of the Asperges or Vidi aquam antiphon after the psalm, and for the Kyrie (most probably the people's part).

I thought I had given enough direction about the whereabouts of the Mathias Kyriale, but here it is.