Offertory Propers simplified/reduced
  • joyniklas
    Posts: 4
    Our schola has been seeking Offertory Propers that are somewhere between the psalmtone/Rossini and the full Gregorian from the Liber Usualis. Since there don't seem to be any, I've begun simplifying them. The attached is for Low Sunday.
    Offertory chant Low Sunday reduced.pdf
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    Thanked by 2CHGiffen canadash
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    This looks great to me, though I'm no expert. It would be a nice way to introduce the Latin propers without overwhelming a group of amateurs. I think my choir could learn one of these every couple of weeks for offertory, for example, because we have learned to read the ordinary chants and read from the SEP. Thanks for posting.
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  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Isn't that (um) not (um) allowed?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Oh, please, Adam, we've beaten that dead horse already several times on this forum (the 1958 prohibition of simplified melodies for the propers, other than psalm tones).

    An inquirer in 2008 asked the Ecclesia Dei commission about a number of restrictive music rubrics, and whether they still applied, and the response was, more or less, no.

    Msgr. Camille Perl wrote: "Your questions are of a rather technical nature. Without entering into great detail we would say that custom and usage in the course of more recent decades have modified some of the strict requirements in the documents you have cited."

    He then goes on to refer the inquirer to *our* website for information, and in particular to Andrew Mills' book Psallite Sapienter, which we published.

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/7922493/Letter-from-Vatican-on-Music
    Thanked by 6CHGiffen Ioannes Andreades canadash RevAMG Adam Wood joyniklas
  • dhalkjdhalkj
    Posts: 61
    I like the look and sound of this example and I'm happy to encourage you to continue. You preserve the actual style well by including characteristic melismas. Other attempts I've seen (often with English text) remove those to leave a plain monody that fails to appeal to me. I am glad to see somebody focusing on the Offertories. They are often overlooked by people making arrangements of the Entrance and Communion chants because they aren't printed in the missal but they are just as much a part of the rite as the others, it's just that the priest has other things to say if they're not sung. I think the new book by Fr Samuel Weber that was recently announced on the forum includes them. This is also the proper chant for Monday in the Easter octave (I get to sing these sorts of things at weekday masses more often than on Sundays) and I started with the English translation sung to the psalm tone before launching into the antiphon melody in Latin.
    Thanked by 1joyniklas
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    Joy, very nice!

    If you haven't seen them, Richard Rice has started a project such as this (though it seems to be in a holding pattern) . . . between the two of you, hopefully we can wind up with a complete set someday! Keep them coming!

    http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/11065/simple-latin-propers-richard-rice/p1
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen joyniklas
  • joyniklas
    Posts: 4
    Thanks, all!

    My plan is to reduce one chant per week as the liturgical year progresses. I've made a page on my blog with links here:

    http://oquamgloriosum.blogspot.com/p/offertory-reductions-project-for-tlm.html

    Thanked by 4CHGiffen canadash janetgorbitz CCooze
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