New comprehensive "Hymnal for the Hours" available
  • ProfKwasniewskiProfKwasniewski
    Posts: 247
    Dear Chant-loving Friends,

    Anyone who has ever wished they could find good English plainchant hymns for the Divine Office/LOTH need look no further: Fr. Samuel Weber has published, in one volume, 40+ years' worth of labors, organized according to the liturgical year in the modern Roman Rite.

    An interview at NLM today goes into this project as well as several more forthcoming:

    http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/07/celebrating-liturgy-worthily.html
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,220
    Peter, it's frustrating to see such great content printed in engraving that is merely functional and not attractive.

    When will Fr. Weber give up doing everything with Meinrad fonts? The recent Dominican hymn book showed how to produce attractive results: write the hymn verses out in full instead of stacking the stanzas; and use Gregorio to make the engraving more consistent and conventional.

    And Father should ditch the Times font on the Magnificat and the Nunc: a hymn book isn't a newspaper.

    Now he tells us that his book of propers is in the final stages of prep with Ignatius. If it's like all the other music engraving Ignatius has done for him, it will not be beautiful.
  • vogelkwvogelkw
    Posts: 55
    I am excited to see that Fr. Weber has completed this project! I have been waiting for this book since being introduced by him to a number of the hymns and melodies while in the seminary. I always found the hymn selections in the English Liturgy of the Hours to be lacking, and held on to copies of individual hymns when Fr. Weber had us use them for Lauds and Vespers. The Dominican book has been very nice to use since it came out, but it will be great to have a complete book following the Latin editio typica.

    I don't know much about formatting, but I must say that an advantage that Fr. Weber's book has over the Dominican one is that his does not require random page turns in the middle of verses as the Dominican one does. I do agree that having the verses out in full (Dominican book) does make singing easier for me. Overall I don't mind the look of Fr. Weber's typesetting, perhaps because I am used to it from my time in the seminary.
    Thanked by 1BruceL
  • BruceL
    Posts: 1,072
    I agree Gregorio would look better but it is more obvious in hymns that have 4 or more verses (granted, that's most of them). Maybe my inbred Protestantism is dying hard, but I'm used to the stacked stanzas; we should really memorize the melody first anyway and just read the text as we sing (there's my slightly less in-bred Anglican coming out!)
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,513
    I'm sure it is fine. But all I can say is, you ain't seen nothin yet. Bbbbbbbbaby....
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,199
    I am so confused. Nothin is mighty hard to see, no matter how hard you try.
    Thanked by 1Kathy
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,513
    True. Seriously inexact diction. But that's how the song goes....
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • G
    Posts: 1,401
    Im surprised to hear about the Times font, I know Fr Weber is a Garamond aficianado.

    Im looking forward to the book, regardless.

    Kathy, isnt it weird how often pop songs mess with standard word order and no one bats an eye, but foes of tradional hymnody are always barking and moaning about such the practice when used to improve the prosody or rhyme patters?

    "I only have eyes for you....."
    Doesnt THAT conjure up a creepy image....
    Maybe it could be used as anantiphon on St Lucy's day!
    (Save the Liturgy, Save the World)
    Thanked by 1Kathy
  • RMSawicki
    Posts: 128
    Fr. Weber is also working on a forthcoming "Proper of the Mass for the Year" for the Ordinary Form. Can't wait for that!

    Gaudete in Domino Semper!
  • ProfKwasniewskiProfKwasniewski
    Posts: 247
    Although I'm not terribly fond of the axiom "Don't let the best be the enemy of the good," I would say that in this case, it does apply. Regardless of what one may think about the choice of font or chant engraving (and I find them easy to read and use), Fr. Weber's 730-page hymnal is a treasure-trove, the likes of which has never been seen in the past fifty years -- and even (Kathy, sorry to say this), not likely to be exceeded for a very long time. Even if someone were to come out with another hymnal that had a selection of hymns for Lauds & Vespers, it will not cover every hour, every season, practically every day of the sanctoral, as Fr. Weber's does, with its nearly 500 hymns taken directly from the Office.

    So, in short, for those who wish to chant the liturgy in English, this is a major step forward. I would rank it second only to the Simple English Propers in its significance for liturgical chanting in the context of the modern Roman Rite.
    Thanked by 1Paul F. Ford
  • ProfKwasniewskiProfKwasniewski
    Posts: 247
    (Courtesy of J.M.O.)
    A special Lulu sale ending at midnight on 24 July 2014. Use this special code: HAMMOCK14 and you'll save 20% off your purchase.

    Paperback Hymnal for the Hours
    http://www.lulu.com/shop/rev-samuel-f-weber-osb/hymnal-for-the-hours/paperback/product-21725587.html

    Hardcover Hymnal for the Hours
    http://www.lulu.com/shop/fr-samuel-f-weber-osb/hymnal-for-the-hours-hardcover/hardcover/product-21725592.html
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