Sung English Creed
  • BethE
    Posts: 14
    Are there any churches out there singing the creed in English? My parish is considering singing the creed and we're wondering what experiences others have had with this.
  • stulte
    Posts: 355
    I've yet to hear of one do so in English. I'd highly encourage you to do so though if your parish is currently just speaking it. What kind of setting is your parish thinking of using? Do you guys have a choir that could handle a polyphonic setting?
  • CGM
    Posts: 683
    an earlier thread about it here; see Daniel Sañez's Orthodox-style setting at the end, for a very simple and singable setting of the Creed. (Since that earlier posting, he has changed jobs, and can now be reached at dsanez@richmondcathedral.org .)
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,295
    We just started singing it in Latin a couple of weeks ago. Doesn't ICEL have an English version that closely mirrors Credo III? I think it's in the St. Michael Hymnal, 4th Ed.
  • stulte
    Posts: 355
    Yes, ICEL does have an English version for both Credo I and Credo III.

    http://icelweb.org/musicfolder/openpdf.php?file=Credo1.pdf

    http://icelweb.org/musicfolder/openpdf.php?file=Credo3.pdf
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,366
    We sing it at Walsingham every Sunday and Solemnity. I'm sorry to say that we only sing it recto tono (did you hear that, Adam?), but that's still gold, whereas saying it is always lead. At Atonement in San Antonio I believe they sing it always to the Credo I version in back of the '1940'. Perhaps in the future Walsingham will make this step.

    At St Basil's Chapel (Houston's UST) we sing Fr Columba's English version of Credo I at all masses of St Basil's School of Gregorian Chant.

    There is, really, no excuse, ever, not to sing the creed. It is The Great Song of Our Faith and is part of the ordinary of the mass. If you parish are contimplating doing this, by all means stop contemplating and actually do it!

    It would be helpful if all musical settings of the mass included the creed. It's really quite weird that they write these gaudy and tasteless and theatrical (and totally improper) 'great amens' but offer no creed.
  • Bridget Scott
    Posts: 39
    Yes, my parish has been singing the creed since the new translation came out. . . every Sunday at every Mass. The pastor, choirs, (including the youth choir), and cantors learned it first and we rehearsed with the congregation a time or two before Mass. We use the ICEL setting for Credo I. As with anything new, when we first introduced chanting the creed there were a few grumblers, but not chanting it wasn't an option. Now our congregation chants the creed heartily. One tip: Keep it moving!
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,933
    The Creed hasn't been sung in English in my parish since the 1970s. It disappeared when the NO came out and no one has wanted to revive it. The usual reason given is it makes the mass longer.
  • Fr. Jim Chepponis
    Posts: 220
    The following thread might be helpful:
    http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/10377/psalm-setting-of-the-creed/p1
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Choirparts
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    In case it would be of interest to anyone, here is a proposed adaptation of Theodore Marier's "recto tono" Profession of Faith setting for the new text, in PDF form, together with a MIDI simulation.
    ProfessionOfFaith1a.pdf
    88K
    credo-fragment.mp3
    2M
    Thanked by 4Liam Richard J Clark Heath Aristotle Esguerra
  • stulte
    Posts: 355
    http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/12948/missa-episcopi-ioannis-english
    Thanked by 1Richard J Clark
  • Caleferink
    Posts: 429
    I think this is on the earlier thread as well, but also check out Fr. Chepponis' revision of his Jubilation Mass, whereby he added the Creed to it, and it's a pseudo-psalm tone chant as well. It's in Worship IV, #341.
  • nun_34nun_34
    Posts: 66
    Our community has been singing the Creed for just under 3 years, sometimes in English, sometimes in Latin. For the English version we use the ICEL setting of Credo I.
    Thanked by 2noel jones, aago Richard J Clark
  • ProfKwasniewskiProfKwasniewski
    Posts: 242
    Here's a great English setting, courtesy of Aristotle Esguerra.
    Ambrosian Creed.pdf
    45K
    Ambrosian Creed.pdf
    45K
    Thanked by 1HeitorCaballero
  • ProfKwasniewskiProfKwasniewski
    Posts: 242
    Sorry, I uploaded the document twice. It's the same thing.
    Thanked by 1Richard J Clark
  • Richard J ClarkRichard J Clark
    Posts: 35
    Additionally, here's a wonderful setting in English by Jeff Ostrowski:
    http://www.ccwatershed.org/creed/

    As usual, Ostrowski provides a recording as well as scores in modern and Gregorian notation as well as an organ accompaniment.

    Thanked by 1HeitorCaballero
  • musiclover88
    Posts: 156
    My parish uses the ICEL setting for Credo I. Don't get me wrong, I love chant, but I'm not a big fan of singing the Creed. I guess it would be different if our church musicians were really good, but when you have a small group of volunteers who have never sung chant before (and are unwilling to learn), it just doesn't work well.
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