Stations of the Cross Music Selection
  • janetgorbitzjanetgorbitz
    Posts: 966
    Anyone have some recommendations for chant selections you use for the Friday stations of the Cross and Benediction? Last year we used the standard Stabat Mater, Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris Hostia from our hymnals, in English.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    Janet, that sounds lovely to me, though Latin would be better, but then I'm speaking as someone who has been through two years of "Were You There..."
  • Jscola30
    Posts: 116
    Stabat Mater is a classic, though I guess you could also use Crux Fidelis and Vexila Regis. Again, the two Eucharistic hymns you mentioned are good, prehaps maybe Jesu Dulcis Memoria could be added. What hymnal do you use?
  • Michael O'Connor
    Posts: 1,637
    I was forced to use "Jesus Remember Me" in English alternating with Spanish. Glad I don't have to anymore.

    There is something to be said for the comfort of predictability. Stick with Stabat mater, it has the proper number of verses anyway!

    moconnor
  • janetgorbitzjanetgorbitz
    Posts: 966
    Our parish has the gather comprehensive... thanks for the encouragement... the parishioners are familiar with these hymns. I do sympathize with those who have been subjected to "Were you There..." and "Jesus, Remember Me". In past parishes, I have sung them enough for a lifetime!
  • francis
    Posts: 10,704
    You can't top the Stabat Mater. The way of the cross is just as much about Our Dear Lady as it is about Jesus. In my humble opinion, these other hymns are an attempt (perhaps ignorant, but effective) of doing away with Mary. It's just another subtlte attempt at the protestenization of our Catholic identity. Mary was highly responsible for the inception of the very devotion itself. What happens to Jesus happens to Mary. It's part and parcel to the mystery.
  • gregpgregp
    Posts: 632
    We used "Parce, Domine" last year.
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,021
    Please note that "O Salutaris Hostia" and "Tantum Ergo", in that order, are specified for the Benediction liturgy. Of course, you have the option of English or Latin. The entire Benediction liturgy (with the possible exception of the Divine Praises) might be a good place to re-introduce Latin to the congregation. Many parishes are doing that.
  • Jscola30
    Posts: 116
    To me too, that's one place (Benediction) where Latin still remains, very rarely have I seen anything BUT the O Salutaris and Tantum Ergo.
  • mbenoit
    Posts: 2
    Speaking of the Divine Praises, are there any chant settings for them. I have been unable to find any. Is this perhaps because they don't exist?
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,021
    There is a setting in the older St. Basil Hymnal, but it predates the addition of the "Holy Ghost, the Paraclete". It's through-composed, so adding anything will be tricky.
  • G
    Posts: 1,397
    When I arrived at my parish, they had a chant setting which sounded Slavic to my ears (this area is heavily Eastern European ethnically.)
    I asked, and no one, including a choir member of 47 years standing had any idea where it came from, but it seemed they all assumed the melody came from "home," they only had hand-written score, purple mimioed copies, in the same hand as the Slovak and Polish hymns in the parish repertoire.
    I only recently came across an original, in an old hymnal in a library, (not the St Basil, but from around 1920, IIRC,) it was by someone with the distinctly un-Slavic name of Grey.
    It lacked the reference to the Most Precious Blood, which I think was added in the '50s or '60s, I believe.
  • Jscola30
    Posts: 116
    There's a nice setting in Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Canticles by Marier, however it says, "The Holy Spirit, the Consoler." There's a nice one by A.P. Bragers in the Pius X Hymnal, but again, it lacks the whole Holy Spirit and the Precious Blood. Another Marier setting is in the Cantus Populi, a harmonized version of ps. tone 3a, again lacks the holy spirit refrenece. However, that is an idea, use a psalm tone.
  • mbenoit
    Posts: 2
    Thanks for the suggestions!
  • francis
    Posts: 10,704
    Let me know what you all think of this one. Eng. and Latin versions.
  • vfdeese2
    Posts: 3
    I have rearranged the order of the pieces of the Pergolesi Stabat Mater and added a few hymns to better fit the order of the stations. I have performed that twice with a children's choir and 2 soloists, string quartet, and continuo. We did this at the beginning of Passiontide. Hopefully in the future, we shall be doing the Liszt Via Crucis, which was intended for the Stations. It requires only a choir and piano.
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