Trololololololo! Harhahahaha!!
Ph

OK, so it seems some background is in order.

This is borne of a discussion at my choir rehearsal Thursday night about what all those little numbers are at the bottom of the page. I used Come Holy Ghost and LAMBILLOTTE as an example of 8 8 . 8 8 meter, and we sang this text to WINCHESTER NEW, TRURO, and another tune that escapes me at present.

After this the choir said that they preferred to sing Winchester New, so I decided to type set it for them. Considering that we've been banned from singing practically every thing we've learned in the last five years (propers), I figured it couldn't hurt to let them sing it as a choir piece this Sunday, since we didn't have an anthem ready to go.

I haven't programmed Lambillotte for about eight years. It is a tune that I thorough despise; it is nothing but s cheap waltz, cannot be played or sung in a dignified manner, and is completely unworthy of the temple. It should be thrown into the dustbin with the rest of the contents of the Catholic Chapel Hymnal and St. Basil's Hymnbook.

I wish I could take the credit (or blame), but it lies with my USMC countertenor* who happened to open right to Winchester New when I was looking for an 8 8 . 8 8 Tune.

* just in case anyone thinks that men who sing alto are wimpy. Mothers, encourage your sons to sing alto!

I see your point, Noel. The poor PIP's. They've had so many things stolen from them in the name of "progress" and "enlightenment" that giving them a few old chestnuts is the least one can do.

With all due respect to the sudden emergence of certain new defenders of liturgical tradition, music and otherwise, were they as upset about changing a melody to a hymn when our glorious churches were being remodeled, our high altars and communion rails ripped out, our beautiful vestments thrown in the dumpster, our beautiful statues smashed to smithereens, Latin being consigned to the ash heap of history and Gregorian chant reduced to a footnote in a textbook?

Were they as concerned for the sensibilities of the PIP's when ICEL imposed in 1970 their banal and absurd paraphrase of the Mass and had the temerity to refer to it as a "translation"?

Which is worse, to introduce a beautiful new melody to a favorite old hymn, or to throw out fifteen hundred years of liturgical tradition almost over night?

I'm just saying---right or wrong and absolutely no offense intended, but that's how this strikes me.

Any number of texts have been suggested in this forum for CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM and EISENACH ... so this doesn't seem out of the ordinary to me.

Chuck, you have written about your religious upbringing on this Forum. Had you been baptized and raised in the Catholic Church singing "Come, Holy Ghost" to a tune other than LAMBILLOTTE may seem out of the ordinary to you too. Just sayin'

Well, Ron, Episcopalians and our Anglican Use kindred sang it to MENDON, so perhaps LAMBILLOTTE might seem a little strange to them, too. Just sayin' ... and I rather think that singing it to MELCOMBE ("O Spirit of the Living God") might be an even better fit.

I do recall that the Doxology ("Praise God from whom all blessings flow") has been sung to CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM, which (even if sung in Advent) is quite a change from the expected OLD HUNDREDTH. Another time that CONDITOR... was suggested as a tune, someone said it was sort of like singing Christmas music in July, but there didn't seem to be any great objections otherwise. Also, I recall setting Adam Wood's "Eternal rest grant the we pray" to my own harmonization of EISENACH after he had used that text at a funeral with CONDITOR... .

Chuck, my issue is not with WINCHESTER NEW. While many Catholics may think this is an "Advent season tune" because they only know of its association with "On Jordan'sBank," I know that the tune has had many other pairings. So has CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM and other tunes often associated with the Advent season.

Nor do I fault Episcopalians and Anglicans for singing "Come, Holy Ghost" to tunes other than LAMBILLOTTE (perhaps even better tunes, musically).

My concern is only with the association of "Come, Holy Ghost" with LAMBILLOTTE by Catholics in the US. Above, @rob says that association is not as strong as one might assume. IMO, it is.

Fr. Ron. In other words, if one (such as I, since you brought it up) is not a cradle Catholic, then one is just not "Catholic enough" to "get it" insofar as what is perhaps some real or mythical "holy turf" of Catholic vernacular hymnody?

I'm reading more of: If you weren't a cradle Catholic, then you severely underestimate the curmudgeonly buffonery of PIP's who can't adapt to singing something different. Which is really stupid... your upbringing causes you to think that too much is possible, that you think too highly of the musical flexibility of Catholics? IS OUTRAGE!

If the new edition of the Worship hymnal, not to mention other GIA publications is any indication, I find it surprising that one would find fault with singing a multitude of texts to tunes that are traditionally associated (not to mention aesthetically united) with specific texts. It so happens that Wincester New is one of the few tunes that really does marry well with a variety of texts, Pentecostal, Trinitarian, and others, though not, in my opinion, with the text in question here. There are, in fact, metred versions of the real traditional Gregorian tune to Veni creator that should be used with this text.

I would add that, in practice for many years, MOUNT AUBURN was sung with the tenor and organ not providing a third on the final cadence until the last verse.

Fr. Krisman, I for one agree with you. When I first saw this it just struck me as really odd.

I also don't see a problem with the original Come Holy Ghost tune; if it sounds like a waltz you're playing it too fast.

cannot be played or sung in a dignified manner, and is completely unworthy of the temple.

For the record, I respectfully disagree. I find that tune wonderfully majestic and triumphant.

There is far, far worse out there than Lambillotte. Unfortunately, my hymnal has a version "improved" upon by Proulx. I play it with as many of his additions removed as possible.

Then there's the transformation of Lambillotte into 4/4 in the song "One Spirit, One Church. It turns what I think is an uplifting melody into a dirge. Bleh!

O HEILIGER GEIST (O spirit of life, O spirit of God) is one you don't hear too often, but it's worth a look; I found it in The Anglican Hymnal 1982. It's probably better known as O JESULEIN SUSS (O Jesus so sweet, O Jesus so mild).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8f5z0BbzGI

1 O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,
In every need Thou bringest aid,
Proceeding forth from God’s great throne,
From God, the Father and the Son;
O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.

2 O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,
Increase our faith in our dear Lord;
Unless your grace the power should give,
None can believe in Christ and live;
O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.

3 O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,
Make us to love your sacred Word;
The holy flame of love impart,
That charity may warm each heart;
O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.

4 O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God,
Enlighten us by that same Word;
Teach us to know the God's radiant love,
Lead us to Christ who reigns above:
O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God.

That is not a good translation.

I've never heard "One Spirit, One Church" done in anything but a dirge-like manner.

This is so odd. I've never heard it done at anything other than a happy-clappy, hold-on-for-dear-life-its-so-damn-fast manner.

"O Spirit of Life" sounds like a good idea, but it has all these not very good rhymes:
God/aid, throne/Son, etc. Is it a translation?