Has anyone ever heard the "Divine Praises" sung?
  • CatherineS
    Posts: 690
    I came across this chant version of the Divine Praises (probably on the pages of this site that offer sheet music). I thought it was quite cool, but I must say I have never, ever, ever, in any language or in any rite, heard these prayers sung. In my (rather limited) experience they are always spoken, either in the vernacular or in Latin, depending on the congregation.

    Has anyone ever encountered these sung?

    16_01_17_DivinePraises_Schuler.pdf
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  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,850
    Yes in Latin, but I cannot find the music now...

    There are a number of versions around but they are not complete, or do not have a proper doubling.
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,530
    tomjaw - your typesetting in this thread.
    Choice of male or female voices here
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  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,850
    @a_f_hawkins

    I was asked to produce those versions for the Website you linked to, but the Divine praises is usually doubled, priest-people. The version I have heard sung was doubled. I have / had a fancy chant version but it was aphtocopy and was difficult to make sense of, may dig it out and see what I can do.
  • RevAMG
    Posts: 162
    Here are all the ENGLISH versions I have collected over the years (including those in threads linked to this thread).
    Divine Praises - English - Bragers.jpeg
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    Divine Praises - English - Bryce.pdf
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    Divine Praises - English - Chant.pdf
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    Divine Praises - English - Chant2.pdf
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    Divine Praises - English - Koerber.pdf
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    Divine Praises - English - Marier.pdf
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    Divine Praises - English - Romero.pdf
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    Divine Praises - English - Schuler.pdf
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    Thanked by 5tomjaw CatherineS Joseph Michael bhcordova CHGiffen
  • RevAMG
    Posts: 162
    Here are all the LATIN versions I have collected over the years (including those in threads linked to this thread).
    Divine Praises - Latin - Chant.pdf
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    Divine Praises - Latin - Farnborough.pdf
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    Divine Praises - Latin - Koerber.pdf
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    Divine Praises - Latin - Obscure.pdf
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    Divine Praises - Latin - St. Cecilia’s Abbey.pdf
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  • CarsonHaupt
    Posts: 46
    We sing the setting you originally posted in my college seminary. The major seminary my diocese sent to until this year also sings them, though to a different setting. I'm not sure what Kenrick does, but that is where we're sending the guys who are about to finish up college formation, so I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,042
    Set by a dear priest to the Te Deum chant. Love this version.
    Divine Praises.pdf
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  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Catherine,

    Never heard them sung. Never sung them. Wanted to.
  • ScottKChicago
    Posts: 349
    I have to say I prefer to say them. They seem most effective as direct, spoken statements. Secondarily, when I'm a server at Benediction, they happen at a time when my knees are complaining most loudly, so the direct saying of them means the chance to stand up is not far off. :)
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  • CatherineS
    Posts: 690
    @ScottK, that might explain why I've never heard it sung in parishes. But I've never heard it sung in seminaries either, where there's usually less hurry.
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 759
    St. Paul's Akron, Ohio Choir sings the Divine Praises by Jacob Schloeder at the end of all our choir rehearsals as our closing prayer and during Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. Another version that I sang about twenty years ago with St. Mary's choir in Akron is attached but I do not know who the composer is; I like both versions equally. The only word change not reflected here that St. Paul's made is swapping out "Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the consoler" to "Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete", I like "consoler" better but when in Rome...

    The_Divine_Praises.pdf
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    The_Divine_Praises No2.pdf
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  • francis
    Posts: 10,997
    mine... in english
    DivinePraises.pdf
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  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,440
    I have never at any time or any place heard these sung - and have wondered many times why they weren't. I really do like Msgr Schuler's version offered at the top by Catherine. The recurrent reference to the melodies of the Carolingian Acclamations is remarkable and potent. Also worthy of note are the ones from St Michael's Abbey, Farnsworth, submitted by Fr AMG.
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  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,943
    At the school where I was house father last year, they sang the Latin version at Benediction on Sundays. Very beautiful.

    The St. Dunstan schola would sing an English version of these from the St. Gregory's Hymnal, as written by J. Lewis Browne. We sang it at the end of rehearsal until, due to lack of popular acclamation, the practice died out. It had a modicum of inspiration; quite frankly the piece is clunky. In addition, it was written before 1950, so I had to add a few verses about Our Lady's Glorious Assumption to make it 'liturgically appropriate'. The one fellow who was gung ho about the piece complained because "he didn't remember all those verses being in there." Mandela Effect happens, even in music.
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  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,261
    Yes. Our youth schola sings the version CatherinS shared, at benediction.
    At the annual Rosary Rally for Our Lady of Fatima, we sing the same setting, but with "Paraclete," rather than "Consoler."
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  • francis
    Posts: 10,997
    a revised version that pronounces 'bles-sed' instead of blest ...oh... and here's an mp3 simulation
    theDivinePraises.pdf
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    theDivinePraises.mp3
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  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 243
    Here are the Divine Praises by Sister Mary Alexis Donnelly, a Sister of Mercy from Providence, Rhode Island (1908)
    DivinePraises_RSM_pg_1.jpg
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    Divine_Praises_RSM_p2.jpg
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    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Don9of11 francis
  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 243
    Here are the Divine Praises by J. Lewis Browne. I like this version!
    DivinePraises_Browne_p1_001.jpg
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    DivinePraises_Browne_p2_002.jpg
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    DivinePraises_Browne_p3.jpg
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  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Old hymns:
    Browne's version looks like it is a typed-out version of an Anglican chant.
  • GerardH
    Posts: 531
    This version, by C Elliott, is the only one I've ever encountered. The scan is from an old book, and is missing a few invocations. The squarenotes are one of a few variants to adapt what's missing.
    squarenotes-C-Elliott-divine-praises.pdf
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    C-Elliott-divine-praises.jpg
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  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 243
    Gerard--that version is from St. Basil's Hymnal
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  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,248
    I like the Browne version, too. And it doesn't seem at all like a "typed-out version" of an Anglican chant, the first page notwithstanding.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Charles,

    I stopped at the first page. I guess one can't judge a piece of music by its first page.
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  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 759
    I did a quick survey of hymnals tracing the changes made to the Divine Praises and thought you might be interested in the results. I don't have any hymnals dating before 1881 that have the Divine Praises.
    Survey of the Divine Praises.pdf
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  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 759
    Something curious. The verse "Blessed be St. Joseph her most chaste spouse" seems to have been added between 1911 and 1920. The Divine Praises of Jacob Schloeder as found in the 1915 St. Paul Parish hymnal do not include this verse but a publication of his Divine Praises by Fischer Bros. in 1911 does.

    https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a4ca/2bcc3fcd674364909cc3d17490517582f34c.pdf

    Pages from 1915 - The_St_Paul_Hymnal-2.pdf
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  • Alan_Pontet
    Posts: 3
    There is a good amount of online description of the development of the Divine Praises (Laudes Divinae), including those parts added by popes. Whilst the majority know only the verbal repetition versions, there is no rubric requiring such and, since it is unlikely that there would be further additions - it would become too long, there is no need for the repetitions, in which case, it ought to be either said once or - and better, sung. Benedict Wilson has written a choral plainchant setting and which - if you want to hear it sung by a professional choir, is used at St Mary's Cathedral Sydney on Sunday afternoons for Vespers Exposition and Benediction. It is written in a style which makes the invocations easy to remember. Of course, it doesn't have to be sung chorally - unison is as lovely. I have attached a file (I hope it opens - all I can see is a blank sheet and No file chosen).
    Divine Praises - full score.pdf
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    Divine Praises - full score.pdf
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  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,728
    The Latin versions all seem to be the Maredsous tone. The nuns of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey sent me the accompaniment, and I made it look neater. (There may be a couple of words where the accent is missing in this score.) I have square notation with episemata and dots that match how it is actually sung.

    We have great popular participation here. As the patron of the church is Our Lady, and under the title of BMV of the Assumption (not just by default), we triple that invocation which works out; it goes Cantor – All – Cantor, before going back to All as it would otherwise.
    laudes_divinae_maredsous.pdf
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  • Josaphat1934
    Posts: 15
    They are sung to this melody in Polish.

    https://youtu.be/QLt6Bn1Zs0s?si=Wn66jCTYsgrWTQ-Q
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  • RC_Liturgy_Music
    Posts: 14
    https://youtu.be/Fa8Ryl_zQtQ?si=9zEyOm_awWCO5Qwf
  • AnimaVocis
    Posts: 174
    https://on.soundcloud.com/UynmjxkJYmGTQyav6

    This is a setting which I inherited. It is arranged for 6 voices (TTTBBB). Here we have TBBB.

    By far one of the most beautiful versions I have ever heard or sung!

    P.S. that LOW bass is a Sophomore in High School........
    Kennelly - The Divine Praises (TTTBBB).pdf
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  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,519
    We sang the Romero version (above - RevAMG). It was very effective!
  • AndrewSincerelyAndrewSincerely
    Posts: 44
    Anima, the priests in my diocese learn this arrangement in seminary. My pastor recently gave me a copy to teach to my choir which we sang at a holy hour that involved music. I re-arranged to a higher key so my sopranos could participate.
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  • AndrewSincerelyAndrewSincerely
    Posts: 44
    Paul Jernberg has a very pleasant setting:

    https://youtu.be/cp7SFAKwMR8?si=OihYpMQeHK1ENIB_
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  • sdtalley3sdtalley3
    Posts: 278
    I’ve never heard them sung period, so I was ecstatic to see they were set to chant at some point. I boldly wanted to try my hand at a rendition as well, and it more or less lays the groundwork for choral/falso bordone I’d like to compose in the near future.
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