Introits for Congregation and Cantor/Choir
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    JMJones,

    It was the profound desire of Pope Pius X. He said... and I'll paraphrase.... "Don't sing AT Mass. Sing the Mass!"

  • JMJones
    Posts: 68
    And I agree. "Singing The Mass" is actually the first heading in my introduction. I also own a book called "Singing the Mass" that has all the chants and responses for the Ordinary of the Mass in English and Latin. The call to "Sing the Mass" is much broader than the Propers, and actually, the congregation's primary responsibility should be to sing the Ordinaries, beginning with the dialogues with the priest. Now certainly singing the Introit is a part of singing the Mass, but singing the Mass is much broader than that.

    My main inspiration for this project is this quote from Musicam Sacram: "It is desirable that the assembly of the faithful should participate in the songs of the Proper as much as possible, especially through simple responses and other suitable settings."

    My tentative title for a long while was "Introits for Congregations."
    For the past month, I've leaned toward "Propers for the Parish: Introits."
    After rereading the quote from Musicam Sacram, I'm wondering if "Propers for the Faithful" would be best.
  • Schönbergian
    Posts: 1,063
    I have a perpetual distaste of the plural "Propers" to refer to anything other than multiple independent musical settings of the complete Proper. We don't call the Gloria, Sanctus, and Benedictus "Ordinaries", we call them "parts of the Ordinary". But we would refer to "Ordinaries by Palestrina, Victoria, and Lassus".
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Andrew_Malton
  • drjones
    Posts: 24
    How about "Participatory Propers"? (Or, if preference for panning "Propers" prevails, perhaps "Participatory Introits".)
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    I'm sending an idea in a private message.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Since we're descending to this level,

    Actual Participation: Introits
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Whatever you choose, it's probably best to avoid liturgy jargon.
    Thanked by 1Chris Garton-Zavesky
  • JMJones
    Posts: 68
    Schoenbergian, you may be right, but the other definition of "proper" is used so much more widely that unless you include "of the Mass" after "Proper," then it's too easily misunderstood. "Proper for the Faithful" could be easily understood to be something describing what is good and right for faithful people to do.

    "Mass Proper for the Faithful" - too long and complicated?

    "Gradual for the Faithful" - same problem that "gradual" also has another more common definition, and this bit isn't a whole gradual. "Faithful" does too, to a lesser extent.

    A Parish Gradual - maybe nice for the whole project, but not sure about just the Introits section.

    I still wonder if "Sing the Mass" implies that it includes the Ordinary. Is it too close to this: https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/singing-the-mass-print-g8052


    Chonak, can you tell me more about what you would classify as "liturgy jargon?"
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    (1) There is no law saying that "sing the Mass" implies that a project must be comprehensive or must include the ordinary. In fact, the use of the propers needs more emphasis at the present time, since singing the ordinary is fairly common.

    (2) Also, to "sing the Mass" is a generic phrase that runs back at least to when it was used in the Vatican liturgy journal Notitiae in 1969. It was around long before that 2011 book, and that book, regardless of its merits, is not well known, so the phrase isn't particularly associated with it.

    (3) Jargon, as usual, means "technical terminology of a special activity or group". A lot of people involved in parish music -- many singers, instrumentalists, even some music directors -- are not acquainted with the meanings of liturgy terms like "proper", "gradual", "ordinary", "antiphon", "introit", and "participation". So I'd recommend using terms that don't sound strange when an average choir member sees them.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Parish Music, Volume I: Introits
    Thanked by 1ServiamScores
  • JMJones
    Posts: 68
    "Let My Prayer Enter Into Your Presence"
    (translation of the first Introit I ever sang)

    "Come, Let Us Worship God"
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Let's make a distinction.

    The name of your project is one thing.
    The domain name of your website is another thing.

    It would be fine to name your project by a phrase of four or five words.

    But do not expect to make the domain name exactly the same. Users won't be able to type
    letmyprayerenterintoyourpresence.com or parishmusicintroits.com. Besides being un-typeable, they're unreadable.


  • JMJones
    Posts: 68
    Yes, I'd need a different website if that was the title. I'd also probably need a different title for the other volumes. If I choose another title, I may use that as a quote on the first page for the Introits book.
  • drjones
    Posts: 24
    It appears ''introits.com'' is available :-)
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