May Crowning music: brainstorming
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Every year most parishes have a May Crowning. The same pieces are sung nearly ubiquitously. My purpose in raising this topic is to generate a list of musically excellent hymns (or chants, I guess) which are appropriate for a May Crowning.

    At the risk of being a pedant, I want this to be a clearinghouse, not an opportunity for ranting. New directors, musicians, members of liturgical committees and such - to say nothing of clerics who wish to change the practices in their parishes -- can benefit from this if we do it properly.

    If posters wish to comment on the posted suggestions, within moderation, they should do so.

    I'll go first:

    1) Tota Pulchra Es, which is a chant available in the Parish Book of Chant (hereinafter PBC)
    2) Ave Maris Stella , also available in PBC.
    3) Thou that art so fair and bright, a hymn in the New Saint Basil's Hymnal. The words are, within the text, a mixture of Latin and English.

  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    Since I retired from teaching I am not involved in the crowning anymore. It is done at the school, not at the parish. But I can guarantee you they sing "Bring Flowers of the Rarest." Your selections are much better.
    Thanked by 1Steve Collins
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    Regina Caeli, naturally, or the Salve Regina if it happens that one’s event falls after None on Saturday in the Pentecost Octave. Ours was the third or fourth weekend of the month for many years because reasons, so it was possible for our weekend to be after Eastertide.

    Solesmes published an Ave Maria including the second part of the rosary prayer.

    “Immaculate Mary,” but the LOURDES version is far superior textually and musically to the one sung to FATIMA.

    “Hail Holy Queen, Enthroned Above” makes my list.

    Also worth considering is “As I kneel before you.” They sing it in French at Lourdes during the nightly rosary procession. Perhaps with organ and chant it might be incongruous, but it is far better than what usually passes for Marian music in May.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Matthew,

    You apparently live in strange parts. I've never heart "Immaculate Mary" to FATIMA.

    As to "As I kneel before you", I've never heard of it. Do share!

    Charles,

    Thank you for your vote of confidence.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    I was under the impression that was what the American melody was called. If that’s not correct, the comment stands with the correct happily noted.

    Here it is. https://youtu.be/MSl4IIZJEJg
  • Caleferink
    Posts: 434
    "Sing We of the Blessed Mother" may be an option, especially with its last stanza: "Sing the greatest joy of Mary...Virgin Mother, Mary blessed, / Raised on high and crowned with grace..."

    This may be a little out of left field, but how about "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones," with the second stanza "O higher than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim...O bearer of the eternal word, / Most gracious, magnify the Lord..."? I mean, you were looking for different ideas, right?
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Caleferink,

    You note quite correctly that I was looking for "different" ideas. I like the idea of remembering that hymns have more than 2 verses - if I recall, the verse you cite is the 3rd -- and thank you for the suggestion. Those musicians lucky enough to have a tower of bells or a carillon could join the May Crowning with change ringing, and make the event boisterously festive.

    "Sing we of the Blessed Mother" -- is that to the same tune as "Daily, Daily, sing to Mary"? and (for the benefit of lurkers and newcomers) isn't there also a chant for that set of words?
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,093
    "Immaculate Mary" is nearly universally sung to LOURDES HYMN in the US Northeast, at least in English language congregations - BUT, the refrain is often, not always, differently than in the French - with the first syllable on the first beat of the measure, not on the pickup thereto.

    The French tune:

    http://gauterdo.com/ref/aa/ave.maria.de.lourdes.jpg

    The typical US tune:

    http://romaaeterna.jp/basil/basil144.gif
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Admin:

    I would welcome a spin-off discussion of the merits/demerits of the two forms of the refrain.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    I like “Daily Daily, Sing to Mary.” IIRC there’s a Latin hymn from which it is taken.
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 805
    The French tune is the one in our CBW III hymnal, and we were told to use that type rather than the other one.
  • RPBurke
    Posts: 25
    In Boston we sang the Lourdes Hymn with the French rhythm. Played it in the Midwest the way I knew and wow did I hear about it
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    When I first moved to the United States and realized Immaculate Mary was different here it took some getting used to - but now when I try to play the French/Canadian version, it sounds very odd to me.
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 904
    I grew up only singing it the American way. When I first heard the French way it seemed odd to me especially since the word "A-ve" as it is pronounced in English has the accent on the first syllable, but I wonder if that is not the case with French pronunciation.
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Just did a May Crowning and Mass today. Some of the hymns we used:

    Sing we of the Blessed Mother (Abbott's Leigh)
    Be joyful, Mary, heavenly Queen
    Regina Caeli, Jubila (SSA) (Praetorius)

    My girls' trio also sang Saint-Saens' Ave Maria (SA) for the Offertory which was splendid.

    Last year we used Sir John Tavener's Mother of God, Here I Stand (SATB) as a meditation piece.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    It seems to me that settings of Tota pulchra est (particularly of Pierluigi dP and Casals) might be appropriate (?).
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Charles,

    I didn't know Palestrina and Casals had written settings of Tota Pulchra Es. Thank you for the suggestion.

  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Don't thank me too soon. Palestrina, definitely, heard Sixtini under Bartolucci do it. I might of been thinking "Nigra sum" of Casals.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,799
    From Paucasals.org:

    Tota Pulchra
    Lieu et date: Prada de Conflent, 1942
    Première édition: Ediciones Armónico, Barcelone, 1955
    Deuxième édition: Alexander Broude Inc., New York, 1966
    Discographie: Obra religiosa de Pau Casals. DAM 4009. Manécanterie de Montserrat. Chef d'orchestre : Irineu Segarra. Enregistrée en 1987. Réédition Discmedi, 2005.
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    For proper chants, we do Beata es, Virgo Maria and Beata viscera from SEP. We also do Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above, and Sing We of the Blessed Mother. There's a sentimental version of Ave Maria by Dan Kantor, but I'm not sure if anyone here is familiar with it that the parish likes, and we do that one sometimes, too.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Clerget,

    Since Lucy Carroll hasn't commented here in goodness knows how long, perhaps you could explain the reasons to sing or to avoid singing " a sentimental version of Ave Maria"?
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    To begin with, I wasn't implying anything positive or negative about the song. The word "sentimental" was used as a descriptive tool. If you'd like, I can go into why selecting literature for purely sentimental reasons is not appropriate for Holy Mass, however, I believe the OP mentioned that he doesn't want this thread to devolve into that. The admin can create a spinoff thread if he wishes, and we can have that discussion there.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Clerget,

    Speaking as the OP, I appreciate your clarification,
    I wasn't implying anything positive or negative about the song
    . What did you mean, then, by "sentimental"?

    Speaking as the OP, I welcome the spin-off thread you describe.
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    I see your point: sentimental wasn't the best term, as all music is sentimental in some way, even Gregorian chant. The better term would have been "modern," because the song to which I am referring uses modern harmonies, its accompaniment was written for a modern instrument: the piano, and it appeals more to modern sentiments or feelings. "Modern" would have been a better term to describe the song.

    That being said, the song holds a sentimental connection for many in our parish.
  • Caleferink
    Posts: 434
    Chris - yes, I was thinking of the same tune for both "Daily, Daily..." and "Sing We...," although there are a myriad of other hymn tunes either text can be paired (87 87 D - Ode to Joy, Hyfrydol, Abbot's Leigh, Holy Manna, In Babilone). Off the top of my head the stanza of that hymn I referenced is the last one, and the one for "Ye Watchers..." is st. 2

    @MatthewRoth Yes, "Omni die dic Mariae" is the Latin hymn from which it's taken: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1002
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