Noel, you are to be COMMENDED for this project. How can we thank you for making this wonderful PDF page?
The enemies of the Propers (to remain sine nomine here) must be shaking in their boots, especially because of the FREE resources, like those of Fr. Weber.
My only (small) suggestion: zoom in closer BEFORE you use the camera tool to get the chant notation (if you are copying from Jeff Tucker's PDF's) --- this will make it higher resolution. Just a thought.
Finally, thank you for including the Chabanel Psalms! (but I would be praising your work even if they were not included)
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
An excellent comparison of available resources! I would caution against dismissing all "big 3" materials entirely. I think the quality products put out should still be commended. In this case, I specifically think of Proulx's psalm for Midnight Mass, which is based on the "Puer Natus" melody! Also, I think other choral settings of these propers could be addressed. None come to mind immediately, but that's what the resource is for!
The form of the psalm composition by the little, unconforming to the church law, three alone disqualifies them from consideration. And why sing an arrangement of a chant, rather than the true chant itself?
"the form..." I find the through-composed style of composition used in so many of the OCP/GIA and other psalms illogical, making poor art songs out of psalms that are not metrical...ignoring the historic practice of chant patterns for verses does not make for singable music-making with psalms.
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