Chant Hymns in English
  • A Sinner
    Posts: 8
    Under a previous pastor I had a weekly "Chant Mass" using "By Flowing Waters" and a chant Schola that sang the Communion Antiphons from the Graduale once a month. Under the new pastor the weekly chant mass disappeared but I have been sprinkling all the masses with BFW antiphons, and more recently St. Meinrad communion antiphons and congregational refrains. Now I've been told that all entrance, offertory and communions must be congregational (non antiphonal) singing. This is non-negotiable. We use the "Breaking Bread" throw away missal. It contains a few "chant hymns" such as "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" "Salve Regina" and "Adoro Te Devote". Are there any collections of chant hymns-preferably with English translations that I could use in my last-ditch effort to give chant pride of place. Thank you!
  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 232
    Concordi Laetitia.....Maiden Mother Meek and Mild
    Thanked by 1A Sinner
  • OlivierOlivier
    Posts: 58
    These contain English translations which can be sung to their respective chant tunes:
    Caswell's Lyrica Catholica (1840s)
    Shipley's Annus Sanctus (1880s)
    Connelly's Hymns of the Roman Liturgy (1954)

    High Anglican works which contain translations *and* accompanying tunes:
    Neale's The Hymnal Noted (1850s)
    Douglas' St. Dunstan Hymnal (1968)

    Those are all available free on on the interwebs.

    Also, in 2014 The Archdiocese of San Francisco's Litugical Institute published Fr. Samuel Weber's "Hymnal for the Hours," which can be ordered from Lulu here:
    http://www.lulu.com/shop/rev-samuel-f-weber-osb/hymnal-for-the-hours/paperback/product-21799513.html
    It draws from some of the sources above, among others. It's great, and has the hymns organized by liturgical season, hour of day, type and rank of day, and the like. As an added bonus, there is an appendix containing ferial antiphons for gospel canticles, and the canticles themselves both in simpler "Mundelein" tones and in English tones which come closer to Gregorian.
    Thanked by 1A Sinner
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    See also the 1906 English Hymnal, which has many chant hymns in translation, with lovely harmonizations that can be used as unaccompanied choral pieces.
    Thanked by 3M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen A Sinner
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Also, see the Lumen Christi hymnal.
    Thanked by 3M. Jackson Osborn SarahJ A Sinner
  • A Sinner
    Posts: 8
    This is great--thank you all so much. My next question--whose answer may be obvious once I get a look at these hymns--is: are they appropriate for mass, or do they only work for the hours?
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,022
    IMO, if the hymn text relates to the Readings of the Mass, or to the Season or Feast Day, then it is appropriate.

    If one is going to pick "hymns" for Mass rather than stick with the actual Propers, then one really must read through all the Readings, and maybe even the Prayers and the Preface. The hymn still remains "music at the Mass" but at least it's relevant.
    Thanked by 1A Sinner
  • OlivierOlivier
    Posts: 58
    As for appropriateness at mass, that's tricky to answer. At the N.O. parish I attend most of the year, I have heard as communion songs on Holy Thursday(!) and Corpus Christi(!), respectively, "Lord of the Dance" and "America the Beautiful." So I would think just about anything would fly there. At the E.F. parish which I attend during the other months of the year, where it's all chanted ordinaries and propers, and probably mostly Renaissance polyphony for offertory and communion motets--all of which is to say, a high standard for what is appropriate--they often use office hymns and antiphons at mass (in Latin, and after the proper offertory or proper communion, or as a recessional). So I would think that at an N.O. mass, where there is generally so much latitude, it would be weird to object to their use (unless, e.g., the text of a particular hymn is irrelevant to the season or day). I would think too, that chants formerly associated more with benediction (e.g. Adoro Te Devote and Tantum Ergo, which have well-known English versions) would be especially well-suited to communion. There are a good number of "stock" chant hymn tunes which, just as with modern hymn tunes, will work with any text written in that meter. So it might be easy for your congregation after a while, in that the tunes would be familiar even when texts change. I see I haven't mentioned the processional yet, so maybe for that you can use Holy God We Praise Thy Name, whose words at least come from the Ambrosian Hymn at Matins. In any case, good luck!
    Thanked by 1A Sinner
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