Request: Music for St. Agnes (January 21)
  • nun_34nun_34
    Posts: 66
    January 21, 2017 is the closing of the 800th Jubilee of the Order of Preachers. It also happens to be the 70th anniversary of the founding of our monastery, and I'd like to ask your input/help so that we can celebrate this occasion worthily.

    The file below contains the Dominican proper chants for the memorial of St. Agnes.
    introit (officium): Me exspectaverunt, 48*
    gradual (responsorium): Specie tua, 46*
    alleluia: Adducentur, 49*
    offertory: Afferentur, 47*
    communion: Quinque prudentes, 50*

    We're not at a point liturgically where I could put down this lineup as it stands. While we now always sing the propers, these are mainly in the form of Simple English Propers, plain psalm tones, or Fr. Weber's adaptations. The number of actual Gregorian chant mass propers we sing can be counted on one hand. For the Ordinary, we use Latin 3 out of 7 days.

    So...we could probably use one, possibly two, of these as they stand. For the others I'm looking for either an English chant adaptation, or polyphony (or just 2- or 3-part music) for women's voices in either English or Latin. We have a 5-member fledgling schola: monastic vocations are springing up like weeds and they all have nice voices!

    If “the people” can join in the introit (so perhaps = English chant adaptation with organ acc.), so much the better. And of course the closing hymn is wide open. Other available instruments include flute and violin, tho' their players are two of our stronger singers. For a descant on the recessional?

    Would those with some more experience singing sacred music be able to offer suggestions? Compositions by any of our Resident Composers would also be welcome.

    Gratefully,
    Sr. Sarah David, O.P.
    Dominican Propers for January 21.pdf
    342K
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,939
    It is also possible to compose simpler Latin chants, which members here do write. I would try to preserve the Gregorian Alleluia’s structure, even though it is not the norm de facto in most parishes using the Novus Ordo Missae. So, you could take one of the simpler Alleluias in the Dominican gradual, and sing it as appointed (with the choir singing the jubilus) and singing the verse to the matching psalm tone. That also means, preferably, using the text of the chant (is responsorium the term in the Dominican books?) and not a responsorial psalm. The other three tend to be easier to do as far as the congregation is concerned; they “lose” a hymn, but that might be OK for such a special occasion if they aren’t used to more elaborate propers.
    Thanked by 1nun_34
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