Advice Needed - Traditional Roman Hymnal, Second Edition
  • KyleM18
    Posts: 150
    Advice Needed:

    Has anyone looked or bought a copy of this hymnal (Traditional Roman Hymnal, Second Edition)? I'd like to check it out, but I don't see an index online, and I'm not knowledgeable about this publisher's quality, so I would like some advice before I buy a copy. Thank you!

    https://angeluspress.org/products/traditional-roman-hymnal-2nd-ed
  • mmeladirectress
    Posts: 1,100
    I have it.

    the 2nd ed. does include many Gregorian pieces the choir/schola can use, but it seems to be primarily for the congregation's use - just about everything non-Gregorian is in melody line only, or two treble parts.

    forgot to add: as in 1st edition, the Kyriales and Credos are included (yes this is EF)

    one nice improvement: this new edition adds English translations for the burial Mass and the wedding Mass.

  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,471
    KyleM18: Notice that this covers only the EF aka TLM, as it is produced primarily for SSPX. I would expect the production quality to be good, as claimed by this review, from what I know of your present liturgical involvement I doubt it is much use.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    Vol. 1 is very well bound, printed on good paper. Agree that it is a congregational hymnal, with a selection of English and Latin Hymns... Don't see why it cannot be used by N.O. First edition includes a forward by bp. Williamson so may cause the odd heart attack (purple text). I am a few 100 miles from my library so cannot post more. Anyone got a copy of the new index...
    Review here,
    https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2017/08/review-great-new-traditional-roman.html
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Since Bp. Williamson is no longer associated with the SSPX, I imagine someone else provided a foreword to the 2d. ed.
  • dad29
    Posts: 2,232
    I was acquainted with the first edition of that hymnal. No reason NOT to purchase it as "the hymnal" for an OF congregation, but for those people who insist on using lots of Protestant hymns, the first edition was....not helpful.

    It was also pitched 1 full step higher than was comfortable for most congregations.
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,086
    I've got it.
    It's 2 steps forward, one step back. Or maybe vice-versa; I'm not sure.
    The thing that TRH has always had going for it is its selection of music, which is excellent. There are a few things by SSPX composers, none of which struck me as genius, but the selection is not as idiosyncratic as some EF-oriented hymnals. There are many chant hymns, much chant in general, some of which is overkill (how many chants for O salutaris does one need?) Also many hymns for saints, which vary in quality.

    The layout is very attractive. One big issue in TRH 1 was the quality of music editing. There were enharmonic errors (Gb for F#) and some horrid part-writing (the TRH 1 setting of O Haupt voll Blut would have gotten the author flunked from any harmony class I ever taught.) With the exception of a few stem-direction issues, that's been cleaned up.

    Now, here is my pet peeve, the thing that TRH1 got right and the new edition doesn't: everything in TRH1 was in 4 parts (except for the chant, of course), almost nothing in TRH 2 is. Instead, most of the hymns have soprano and alto parts, a la St. Gregory "Singers edition". The problem there is that most scholae I've experienced are men-heavy, and alto down an octave doesn't work (bass is a better choice for 2 parts). Maybe it's the cradle Lutheran in me, but the idea that Catholics, WHO INVENTED HARMONY AS WE KNOW IT, can't be trusted with parts is deeply offensive to me. And its a self-perpetuating assumption. Granted, this helps the pretty layout, but TRH 1 was in nowise deficient in that department. AND...I haven't seen anything about an organ edition, which would really be necessary to use the book.

    For an EF parish, it would be an excellent pew hymnal, in spite of my bitch about harmony. I think it would be a hard sell for any OF parish, because the repertoire is hardcore traditional, with no compromise. Bindings tended to be weak on TRH 1, but that was pre-Angelus and might not be a problem. I think it's worth spending $43 on ($8 shipping for a single copy??) so you can decide for yourself.
    Thanked by 2StimsonInRehab CHGiffen
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,933
    everything in TRH1 was in 4 parts (except for the chant, of course), almost nothing in TRH 2 is.


    Ugh. Why bother?

    Honestly - if you want your congregation to start singing (and if there's any segment of the Catholic Church which needs prodding in that direction, it's Latin Mass folk) Don't skimp on the harmony. It's better to have a smaller selection of hymns with full harmony than a wider selection with one or two parts at best. Quicker to learn a smaller repertoire and start perfecting that. And for those young and curious (those not yet in the choir, hopefully!) , they can both see and hear different parts as they are sung. Or is harmony something akin to participation, insofar as the "great unwashed" are to be prohibited from participating because that's modernism?!?

    I haven't seen anything about an organ edition


    Yeah, TRH1 was bad about that too. Instead of listing accompaniment, it would state at the bottom "for accompaniment, see St. Gregory's/St. Basil's/etc. # 123". I understand that most organists/choirmasters would have these other volumes already, but it's not terribly efficient to have to lug around three or four books. Such is the lot of the accompanist, I suppose.

    But I'm stuck with the Campion for now. No biggie. There are worse things in Middle Earth.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
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