Index of Responsorial Psalm Responses
  • Most, or probably all, collections of responsorial psalms have only the psalms for Sundays and prominent holy days. But since many of the psalm responses are reused for weekdays, it would be very helpful for someone like me, making music for First Friday masses, to have an index in which I could look up the text of the psalm response and find ---> the liturgical date(s) for which it is used. Then I could use the liturgical date to dive into something like Chabanel psalms and find what I want. Otherwise it seems I have to compose my own responses, which I've been doing for a few months, but I would rather not if it's not necessary.

    So, does anyone know of any such index, preferably available online or for free?

    If there is no such index already existing, I'm probably going to make one, and please advise me as to what might be the best means of sharing this.

    By the way, this is for the Ordinary Form of the mass as it is done in the U.S.A., in English. (And as some of you have said a few times, isn't it a pity that all we English-speaking countries and regions don't use the same texts?)
  • CGM
    Posts: 699
    There's not a index of psalm responses, but there is an index of psalm citations, for daily Masses organized by liturgical season, here.
  • CGM, I assume you are referring to one of the tables accessible from that page, such as this one, but working from that would involve more labor than what I am already contemplating.

    However, the page you referenced also reminds me of the Common Responsorial Psalms and Gospel Acclamations, which could be an option for us.

    Thanks.
  • MarkB
    Posts: 1,084
    Michel Guimont's collection of responsorial psalms (published by GIA) has such an index. I've attached it, but it only points you to page numbers. However, I also attached the table of contents: you can look there for the page number given in the index and see on which Sunday or major liturgical feast that psalm response is assigned.

    Guimont Response Index.pdf
    943K
    Guimont Contents.pdf
    509K
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • Gregory, my current approach is to just look up the liturgical day on the USCCB website. It has the text of the psalm there. It's not the most efficient, and occasionally there are little mistakes, but by and large it is easy enough to do.

    If you're chiefly concerned with Sundays and Solemnities, just look at a pre-existing edition. Fr. Weber's psalm settings can be found floating around the web (which could be a textual reference for you).
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • francis
    Posts: 10,825
    I use Universalis to do exactly what you propose

    You can click on the readings for the day and scoop the responses alone, or the verses too.
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • I have stumbled across a blog https://responsorialpsalmcatholic.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/come-before-the-lord-singing-for-joy-psalm-99-2/ the author of which appears to have a source of cross references (scroll down the page).
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • MarkB: I have a copy of Guimont's psalms, and will use it to make my index if nothing better turns up.

    ServiamScores, francis: I have no trouble finding the text of the responsorial psalm; it is for musical settings that I need to search. If I were concerned chiefly with Sundays and Solemnities, I would have no problem. My concern is with responsorial psalms for Fridays. Sometimes they make use of a response that is also used for some Sunday(s) of the year.

    a_f_hawkins: I am not sure what cross references you're trying to tell me about. if I scroll down the page I find "Responsorial Psalms", click on that, and I get a list of blog posts with titles like "September 8, 2021
    1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT – YEAR C – RESPONSORIAL PSALM – PSALM 24"

    It appears I have not communicated my needs clearly. I will post again to clarify.
  • So, the first few lines of what I'm looking for would be something like this:

    A light will shine on us this day: the Lord is born for us. Christmas Mass at Dawn
    All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. Christmas mass during the day
    Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. Ash Wednesday, First Sunday of Lent A
    Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble. First Sunday of Lent C

    Which is like the index of Guimont's psalms, but with the page numbers replaced by liturgical dates (ultimately, maybe, with hyper-links into the Chabanel psalms).

    Which brings to my mind the thought that I could actually use Guimont's index and turn to the page ... except that the book is borrowed and I think I must return it some day.
  • For some reason I didn't notice MarkB's two attachments on first reading. Now that I have those, I think I could return the borrowed book. Thanks, Mark.
  • There are almost 700 over 1000 different formulas (formulae) in the lectionary, how many of those have distinct selections for the Responsorial Psalm I do not know. Though the Guimont index shows that some are used several times.
    This book has an index of ferial antiphons (responses) :- Responsorial Psalms for Weekday Mass: Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, by Anthony Ruff OSB , altough it is not visible in the preview. That covers 140 of them, but does not cover OT.
    It is probably sensible to ask Fr Ruff praytell(at)csbsju(dot)edu , whether he has a complete inventory.
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • I had started a project to make a book with the psalmody for the entire liturgical year, each liturgical season, including feasts, solemnities and memorials, the commons etc... but now that the lectionary is being revised I have abandoned that project until the new lectionary comes out... but what I found helpful is the ccwatershed in pdf by doing a search on the words and normally you can find almost the same for daily masses, sometimes just the refrain is different and that is easy to adapt.
  • CGM
    Posts: 699
    You could also take a look at the Parish Book of Psalms, PDF free here. There's an index of Psalms by the response text, starting on page 445.
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • monasteryliturgist: Ouch! The lectionary is being revised again? I assume you mean the U.S.A. lectionary.

    Ah, and the last time was 2002? And the previous one about 30 years before that. Can one hope that the revisions will not be too extensive?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    The psalm texts are being replaced with "The Abbey Psalms and Canticles"; and the antiphons for the US lectionary are being revised to draw from that version.

  • They are also working on a revision of the New American Bible for the texts used in the Liturgy. Why they use that version- I still don't understand. They wouldn't have to make so many revisions if they used a translation that was closer to the Latin Vulgate. But Chonak is correct as far as the antiphons and psalmody goes.

    You can see more information on it here https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgy-of-the-hours/liturgy-of-the-hours-second-edition ; https://www.usccb.org/offices/new-american-bible/approved-translations-bible ;

  • It's a hot mess, and at the risk of derailing the thread: I think it is utterly SHAMEFUL that the USCCB doesn't release the copyright. And by that I mean, not that they shouldn't keep the lectionary text copyrighted to protect its integrity (if you can claim that NAB has catholic integrity) but rather it is shameful that they require rights/fees to use it.

    Similarly, I believe that ICEL (this may not be popular...) should release their translations under a creative commons license to allow composers to use the texts without a fee. This is the universal church we are talking about... they should operate as a non-profit (so should the USCCB for that matter, lol) and provide these things as a service to the universal church.

    Christians of other stripes find it terribly odd that our texts are so locked down and require fees to print.

    I just find it baffling that a Catholic composer cannot use the required, approved liturgical texts without paying royalties to a commission. shame, shame, shame!
  • davido
    Posts: 942
    Do they actually charge royalties? Or do they just make people check with them for approval?
  • They do charge royalties if you seek to publish your work or even have a print house make the copies for you (even if they are free).
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  • davido
    Posts: 942
    How is that not simony?!
    Thanked by 2tomjaw ServiamScores
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Here is the permissions policy:
    https://www.usccb.org/es/node/48245

    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • I see a justification for a levy on a publisher making a profit from exploiting the text. But not on, say, me for wanting my mother's Requiem printed to a better standard than my home inkjet.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,825
    Here is a sample of what I do with Responsorial Psalms for our weekly Friday Mass utilizing the psalm tones. This was last Friday's RP and GA.
    psalm16.pdf
    123K
  • I likewise often disregard the accents and fit the English to a gregorian tune in my own way. I think though that "You it is who hold fast my lot" looks less startling than "You it is who hóld fast mý lot".
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • And since I brought it up, here's the ICEL policy page:
    http://www.icelweb.org/copyright.htm
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    a_f wrote:
    I see a justification for a levy on a publisher making a profit from exploiting the text. But not on, say, me for wanting my mother's Requiem printed to a better standard than my home inkjet.

    The permissions policies of USCCB and ICEL allow for that.

    USCCB:
    One-time print use (such as in a worship program for a special liturgy):

    No written permission is required for one-time use.



    ICEL:
    Publications not subject to royalties
    No royalty is charged for reprinting ICEL translations in a publication for use at a specific Mass or celebration of an individual congregation or institution, for example: convention program booklets, jubilee Masses, ordinations, baptisms, first communions, confirmations, funerals, weddings, etc., provided that the following conditions are met: [...]

    Thanked by 2CHGiffen a_f_hawkins
  • davido
    Posts: 942
    Chonak good, that’s at least reasonable