Simple Chanted Creed in English
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    image


    I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
    the Only Begotten Son of God,
    * born of the Father before all ages.

    God from God, Light from Light,
    true God from true God,
    begotten, not made,
    consubstantial with the Father;
    * through him all things were made.

    For us men and for our salvation
    he came down from heaven,
    and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
    * and became man.
    [ *and became– man. ]

    For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
    he suffered death and was buried,
    and rose again on the third day
    * in accordance with the Scriptures.

    He ascended into heaven
    * and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

    He will come again in glory
    to judge the living and the dead
    * and his kingdom will have no end.

    I believe in the Holy Spirit,
    the Lord, the giver of life,
    who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
    who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
    * who has spoken through the prophets.

    I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
    I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
    and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
    * and the life of the world to come.

    Amen

    I wrote this for the same Anglican monastic community I mentioned in the Cherubic Hymn thread. They wanted a fully-sung liturgy but didn't have the resources/ability/rehearsal-time to sing "full" versions of several things (so... a lot Psalm-tone and psalm-tone-like things).

    I think it would work well for any congregation where you might want to introduce a sung Creed, but you're not ready to spend the time for everyone to learn one of the "real" ones. This is learned immediately the first time it is sung.

    There is a recording of the translation used by the Anglicans.

    Thanked by 3ryand M. Jackson Osborn Salieri
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    (Oh also: if anyone has pointing suggestions [either musical and typographical) for "and became man," please share.)
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,151
    For "and became man," your second option [*and became– man.] seems preferable.
    Thanked by 2Andrew_Malton Adam Wood
  • Ted
    Posts: 202
    This is appreciated, but for me it is still unlikely to be accepted.
    Perhaps others have this problem and found a way around of getting the congregation to sing the Creed. For some reason the parishioners look at the Creed as some kind of oath of allegiance, like to the US flag, which as such must be said, and never sung. Perhaps this is why it is rarely sung in USA. St Paul advises us to sing joyfully about our Faith, which is how I look at it, but somehow the message is hard to get through. Even with a willing pastor, the complaints are just too much for him. We have even tried to use a simple psalm tone.
  • CGM
    Posts: 683
    there's that Marier setting, where the congregation sings on a single note while the organist goes all epic up in the joint
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen ryand
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    St Paul advises us to sing joyfully about our Faith, which is how I look at it, but somehow the message is hard to get through.


    If the pastor is willing to get that message through by preaching on the topic, you might have a chance at making it happen.

    If he doesn't want to do that, then its a fight not worth fighting.

    Focus energies on improving other things.
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    Agree with @CHGiffen ... if he means this:
    and-became-man.png
    753 x 289 - 16K
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn Adam Wood
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,959
    Ted, priests have told me it went like this in seminary:

    -We don’t sing the Creed at Mass.
    -Why not?
    - We don’t sing the Creed at Mass.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    FWIW, I adapted the one-note Credo to the new text.
    (This doesn't include the choral descant parts, and there are a couple of mistakes in the fingering notation; sorry.)
    ProfessionOfFaith1a.pdf
    88K
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Caleferink Heath
  • Jani
    Posts: 441
    Adam. This.
    Thanked by 1Adam Wood
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    The recto tono treatment is rather common amongst Episcopalians. We do it at Walsingham (with the organ's harmonic improvisations). Actually, this can be and often is quite nice, and it's certainly better than non tono. Best, though, is to sing the creed to one of the ancient melodies. I wish that we did this at Walsingham, as most Episcopalians are quite familiar with the Sarum (Credo I) melody as adapted in the back of the 1940. I hope that we can start doing this in the foreseeable future.

    (There are many settings of the recto tono creed with organ harmonies. The best ones are improvised.)


    OH! I forgot to say that I like Adam's creed. Especially interesting is the repetition of the first cadence and the saving of the second, more elaborate one for the closing of important moments in the text. This is vaguely reminiscent of the Ambrosian Gloria, the English adaptation of which by Fr Columba I heartily endorse and commend.
    Thanked by 1Adam Wood
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    The final cadence reminds me of the Credo from Rubra's Missa Cantuariensis. Very nice.
    Thanked by 1Adam Wood
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