Thank you for pointing me to Aristotle's resource. I will be using that instead of the SEP when I'm using the GS. I never knew that the melodies were as close to the GS as they are, which is exactly what I'm looking for. It will make the connection between the two: one is a translation of the other much more clear to the people that hear it.

This is getting off topic, but how would you guys respond to the complaint that a 9-fold Kyrie is too long? Specifically, we were doing Mass VIII at the time.

Why would you do a 9 fold Kyrie? I assume you're doing the OF if you're using the Simplex.

Just do the Gregorian Kyries 6 fold. Most of them turn out fine - especially Mass VIII.

Also the Kyriale in the Graduale Simplex is full of wonderful "quick" Gregorian Ordinary options.

Some of the Kyries from the Graduale Simplex would add almost no time over having it spoken.

The Kyriale in the Simplex is a wonderful resource - especially for sung daily Masses.

As you don't sing a Gloria on most weekdays, I see no problem with a 9-fold Kyrie. Start with Kyrie XVI (given in Missa Simplex I) as it is the shortest anyway and will get people used to a 9-fold Kyrie.

If you can manage it, the Kyrie from Mass XI (Orbis Factor) isn't much longer, and there is a short version (which as far as I can tell no-one actually uses) which is worth learning.

Also, don't be afraid to mix it up a little. Agnus Dei Ad Lib II is a good option and well worth teaching the kids. I'm sure that there are some simple 2 or 3-voice Agnus Dei movements out there which you can use as a polyphonic 2nd invocation before returning to the regular chant Agnus Dei. We do it ay my college all the time.

@hartleymartin, I would love to teach the kids some polyphony, but pedagogically it is impractical: the students are no older than 10 or 11 (corresponds to 4th and 5th grade in the US), with the vast majority of them beneath that age. My pedagogical training taught me that students younger than 5th or 6th grade cannot successfully sing independent parts. In fact, the Kodaly method (which I teach) doesn't start discussing part singing until 5th grade. I know that there are children younger than the "correct pedagogical age" that can sing in parts, but I have no clue how they are trained to do it, as I haven't had much success with doing so at the primary grade levels. So far, I'm sticking to unison chant (which they've had great success with), and introducing some organum by trying to have the older students sing the organum part and let the rest of the students sing the original chant melody.

You're also correct about the ad libitum chants: they're not commonly done, but are quite effective. I'm thinking about doing Missa Simplex II, only because everybody at the church already knows Missa Simplex I, but they know it as the "Chanted Mass" because it's also the ICEL Mass.

If you can lay your hands on it, try Bevenot's "Mass in Mi" The Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei alternate between two voices. Basically, the first group sings one Kyrie, the second group sings the second and both groups repeat their parts together to form a 2-voice harmony. Something similar happens in the Sanctus and Agnus Dei. If it doesn't work, nothing lost except a bit of time, and it's proven not to work for that age group.

I'm pleased to hear that you regularly chant the credo. It only happens in some cathedral churches and a few die-hard traditionalist parishes here in Australia.

A few years ago I was involved with the Guild of St Stephen, which operated a "Guild Conference" although in reality it was a Catholic Youth Camp for Altar Servers where the main activities were learning how to serve at mass. Each year the conference focuses on a different area. One year we did an overview of the Catechism. We've been told by many altar servers that they've learned more about what the Catholic Church believes and being a Catholic than they've learned in all the years they've been at Catholic Schools and going to Sunday Mass (says something about the state of religious education ey?)

One year, we taught them a collection of chants which included:

Kyrie XVI
Sanctus XVIII
Agnus Dei XVIII
Pater Noster
Salve Regina (Tonus Simplex)
Credo I
Tantum Ergo
Adoremus in Aeternum

We also taught them how to chant the offices of Lauds and Compline aswell as giving them time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We also encouraged them to go to confession, how to pray the Angelus and the Rosary. Quite a lot in 4 days!

What really surprised me was how I managed to teach the first six items on that list of chant in two sessions of 40 minutes each. Two sessions were given to the older 13-16 year old members, and two sessions were given to the younger 10-12 age group, with a few of the older members seated with them to help them learn the chants.

I wish you all the best in teaching them how to chant propers. Just remember to teach them a few hymns as well. Chances are that they'll go to parish churches where the hymn sandwich is all they ever get in terms of church music, so they might as well learn some decent hymns and influence those parishes.