waiting for mine...

Just came across this today at the Trappist abbey in Spencer, MA and snapped it up. It is quite decent!

Pace BachLover2, those Marian antiphons only run 10 pages, and most of the book is occupied by the seven-day psalter, and the hymnal section.

The layout and typography could have been a little more beautiful. They're similar to the design for the chant material in the Adoremus Hymnal. Maybe it's just taste: I think Times Roman just doesn't look right for singing, somehow. But all in all it's a well-done book at a good price.

Here's a link to the book description at Amazon and at Ignatius.

I like the book too, Mr. Tucker, but really, wouldn't you say the best thing in print for Office Hymns is the Liber Hymnarius? :) There are only just a few hymns for Compline (but varying melodies for different liturgical days).

If you're looking for vernacular, then you have to jump around a bit and take the melodies from the Liber Hymnarius with the translations in the Mundelein Psalter (which does have some written out with melodies).

REQUESTING: recordings of the ordinary parts of Weber's Compline.

When you published this http://www.chantcafe.com/2011/02/sing-compline-for-lent.html, someone in the comments had mentioned they were planning to do this. The comments are now gone, but perhaps that person reads this forum.

Either way, a musicasacra.com page dedicated to links of mp3 versions of ANYTHING would be pretty useful. Or that wiki someone keeps mentioning.

I'm currently (very slowly) working on pointing the Grail and Revised Grail Psalms to authentic Gregorian psalm tones.

I know there is a divergence of opinion on this. There are some who believe that authentic psalmtones are not appropriate with English. I generally understand this is because of two reasons: 1) some modes in particular are complicated and this could be a stumbling block to getting the non-trained person singing them; 2) some believe very strongly (particularly those who have much experience chanting to psalmtones) that the traditional psalmtones are incompatible with English.

I concede #1. But, I believe that #2 is not the case. (I believe I'm not alone - see Richard Rice's version of Communio with English verses.) Of course, it takes creativity and flexibility, and it won't have the same flow as it does with Latin, but when I pray privately, or prepare something for my schola, I generally prefer chanting in English to authentic Gregorian tones. This requires that the text be pointed carefully ahead of time, however, as knowing where to sing what is not at all as intuitive as with Latin. (It also requires a translation like the Grail/Revised Grail, prepared with an eye to singing rhythms.) One can achieve some sense of consistency if a consistent set of rules is followed for figuring out where the accents fit in, however. I know what generally works for me.

My order of priority for pointing the Psalms has been Sunday Vespers, but I'd be happy to put Compline on the front burner if there's an interest in them.

I have nothing against omitting the original Deus in Adjutorium tones because I find them very boring honestly. They should certainly be found in a serious office book, but i dont think anyones expecting Fr. Samuel to produce work thats overly traditional. If he's going to be innovative, with some basis in tradition, may as well make it interesting. He does have good taste, everything he works with certainly sounds catholic.