Anglican Chant for us Romans
  • SteveBosworth
    Posts: 34
    Does anyone know if there is a Psalter (I believe that the Grail Psalter is approved here in the U.S.) using Anglican chant? I'd like to use it for the Propers and responsorial Psalm & Verses.
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    I have a file of the Revised Grail Psalter pointed for Anglican chant. I'll try to post it later today.
    Thanked by 5Adam Wood ScottKChicago SteveBosworth Salieri CHGiffen
  • SteveBosworth
    Posts: 34
    Aristotle, Thank you! This is just what I am looking for. WHEW!!
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    Steve, some good news and some bad news.
    I have Psalms 1–43 done, and only those.
  • SteveBosworth
    Posts: 34
    Aristotle, You're moving in the right direction! I'd love to see what you have so far.
    Thanked by 1ScottKChicago
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    Here's a link to the current PDF. Formatting is based on the 1987 Anglican Chant Psalter.

    I recall now that sometime last year I originally envisioned singing Psalm 94(95) to Anglican Chant as a choral prelude, and then started on the entire Psalter before other projects took priority. We never got around to learning the Psalm, but we may consider doing it starting this Lent.
    Thanked by 1Adam Wood
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    My compliments, Aristotle -
    I've looked over just a few of these and they are very nicely done.
    It seems that some of the lines are rather lengthy, but I take this to be due to the Grail textual arrangement rather than to the pointer's work. One might (might!) experiment with spreading some of these lengthy lines over several repetitions of the chant, rather than staying with such drawn out reciting tones. But then, this would savage the intent of the Grail to preserve Hebrew sense units and literary form, wouldn't it?
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • SteveBosworth
    Posts: 34
    Thank you, Aristotle! These are very good. What are you using for the music? I have many single & double chants that I think would work well.
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    MJO: Thank you for the positive review; high praise from one who is more native to the practice than I am. It's been some time since I visited this project; from what I remember, originally I wished to adhere as closely to the arrangement in the 1987 Anglican Chant Psalter, but the RGP's structure militated against my efforts and at some point I capitulated to it. It's something I'll have to revisit.

    SteveBosworth: I welcome any suggestions you have. I had been toying with the idea of drawing up some modal single and double chants or reworking some Gelineau tones; at this point I would likely use one of the rhythmically simpler double chants in the 1987 (106, 107, 121, 136, 140, etc.)
  • SteveBosworth
    Posts: 34
    Aristotle: I just purchased, from Paraclete Press, "The Psalms of David" edited and pointed by George Guest, organist and choirmaster at St. John's College, Cambridge. It's a 302 page book full of single and double chants, with texts taken from the 1928 Episcopal BCP.

    After a very quick look, I think the Grail Psalms will work fairly well. It'll take some time to fit the Grail texts to the chant tunes, but it'll be well worth it! I'm going to try to have some ready for Lent and possibly use some for the Responsorial Psalms & Verses.

    For the Responsorials it may take a bit more tweaking. If the Verse is good with a double chant, the Response (usually OK for a single chant) can be adapted to the 2nd part of the double. (At least I hope it can! :) Once I try a few I post the results.
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