Chant Setting of St. Michael Prayer
  • NatePultorak
    Posts: 8
    Hello all,

    I was feeling creative tonight, so I thought I would write a Gregorian Chant setting of the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel (I'm surprised that I did not find one when searching online). I was wondering if anyone could give it the Simon Cowell treatment so I can make sure it is consistent with any rules governing Gregorian rhythm, notes, etc.

    God Bless,
    Sancte Michael Archangele.pdf
    14K
    Thanked by 1bonniebede
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    There is at least one such setting - from the Cistercian abbey Heiligenkreuz in Austria.
    https://sancrucensis.wordpress.com/2014/06/26/plainchant-setting-of-the-prayer-to-st-michael-the-archangel/
    Thanked by 3bonniebede M. Jackson Osborn JonathanKK
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    How do you pronounce Michael? Where I live it is always pronounced Michaël, i.e. as three syllables Mi-cha-el.
  • bonniebede
    Posts: 756
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwIoAzbo9wA

    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • bonniebede
    Posts: 756
    igneus, have you an audio of that chant or could you or someone post one?
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    @bonniebede An untrained chanter and a built-in mic of his laptop. Hear on your own risk.
    sanctemichael_sancrucensis2.mp3
    1M
    Thanked by 1bonniebede
  • NatePultorak
    Posts: 8
    Igneus, thanks for catching that opening syllable. For some reason, the Illuminare editor does not like splitting Michael into three syllables, so I had to put the punctum for the "a" in Michael right after the climacus. If anyone knows a way of fixing that, I would be most appreciative. Also, thanks for posting that setting of the prayer. It's good to know that setting this prayer has actually been done before! When I searched before, I could only find the Byzantine setting that bonniebede shared above.

    Any input on what else could be done to improve this chant?
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    @NatePultorak 1. One more syllabification catch: proélio has three syllables proé-li-o.

    2. To the music as a whole:

    I am no Gregorian chant scholar, not even an experienced chanter. I am only familiar with a part of the repertory of the Divine Office. When one chants through the Divine Office antiphons, it is almost scandalous how monotonous, non-original, formulaic great part of the material is. Based on this experience I would say that your antiphon attempts to be too original. I don't see any of the familiar formulae. (Which doesn't necessarily mean there really isn't any.)

    Also, the piece doesn't seem to fit in any of the traditional modes. It ends at re as mode 1, the beginning would possibly also fit mode 1, but there are long parts resembling rather mode 3 or 4 (mode 1 also knows phrases ending on mi, but here it is definitely not this case).
    In the traditional repertory there are some polymodal pieces, but it isn't an easy task to compose a good one.

    It has the same ambitus as Salve Regina. For the sake of people with narrow voice range like me I would suggest cutting the heights and/or the depths.

    3. To places worth attention:

    the neume at the end of "defende" isn't very common at the end of a word (the last syllable doesn't carry any accent);
    the phrase end on "praesidium" isn't very satisfying;
    definitely do something with "illi Deus";
    the rich neumes on "virtute" sound artificial to me
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn NatePultorak
  • ClemensRomanusClemensRomanus
    Posts: 1,023
    I know I've seen one in mode 4 somewhere, maybe the Variae Preces. I'll look when I get home from work.
  • JonathanKKJonathanKK
    Posts: 542
    Indeed you have, friend ClemensRomanus, for this is it.

    I would think that this could be considered the "authentic version", as its date is 1902, and for this text such antiquity is not likely to be bettered.

    I am attached a .pdf of this chant, as it currently stands amongst the "diverse appendices" I have assembled for inclusion as part of my Little Office book project.

    The addition of the Solesmes rhythmic signs and other slight edits are my own work, intended to render this chant consistent with the rest of my book, that is, as it might have appeared had it been included in a mainstream chant book such as the Liber Usualis.

    Vale in Domino,

    Jonathan


    Sancte Michael archangele.pdf
    34K
    Thanked by 4igneus CharlesW M. Jackson Osborn CCooze
  • ClemensRomanusClemensRomanus
    Posts: 1,023
    Yes! That's it. Thank you, good sir.
  • NatePultorak
    Posts: 8
    Thank you for posting that! It is such a beautiful chant. I'm thinking I should probably leave my version to gather dust and use this version, seeing that it is much better than anything I could probably write. (Man, those chant writers are geniuses!)
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    "Man, those chant writers are geniuses!" I haven't ever met any single one in person, so I can't say for sure, but I suppose they usually aren't :) . Writing chant requires rather practice (both singing the traditional stuff a lot and writing) than geniality.
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,187
    It's surprising to me that an oration (not an antiphon) should have been supplied in 1902 with such an elaborate melody. Especially considering the usual use of it, viz., as a post-low-Mass intercession.

    Is there any other example of such an oration? Or some other regular use of the Prayer to St Michael?
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    Perhaps someone was regularly using it at Benediction.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    Is there any other example of such an oration?


    There is also the Memorare that has been set to chant,
    http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/9420/memorare/p1
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    Why do you call it "oration"? It's form/structure definitely isn't one of a classical oration of the Roman liturgy. It's rather a "free devotional prayer", which can be compared not only to Memorare, but also to other Marian prayers/antiphons (some first prayed then sung, some sung first) like Salve Regina or Sub tuum praesidium.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    I still have yet to understand why the Marian antiphons are antiphons...
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 390
    @MatthewRoth Most of them originated as Divine Office antiphons for the feast of Assumption.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    Ah, in medieval usages, then?
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    Why do you call it "oration"?


    I just translated it to 'prayer'... I do see it can apply to Collects etc.
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