Antiphons for Holy Thursday and Easter Vigil & Easter - SATB
  • Hello,

    Attached are some PDFs of the antiphons for the Holy Thursday and Easter Vigil Mass. I used psalm tones for most of them, but wrote one for Holy Thursday (I couldn't find a good mode to go with the words).

    We typically sing Adam Bartlett's Simple English Propers, but on big feast days I usually try and write them out to the psalm tones. We usually don't have anyone to sing bass in our choir but it still sounds lovely with the three parts.

    I figured I'd post them here in case anyone else wants to use them. Very easy for choirs to learn. And once you've done some before, they catch on to them very quickly.... It just is a matter of putting the words to the music. I use the free finale notepad and am usually not happy with how I have to write them.. would rather be able to have phrases/multiple words for a note like chant but hopefully you get the idea.

    Pax,

    Christianne

    Edit- just added Easter. The communion antiphon is the same as the vigil Mass
    Thanked by 3RedPop4 CHGiffen Bri
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    I can well imagine it sounds lovely, but you do need to find a notewriter that better gets the idea across; even ciphers with pointed text would do better than a 4/4 that isn't actually in that meter:

    6 | 75 | 6 6 . 5 | 34 | 3
    3 | 53 | 3 4 . 2 | 12 | 1
    1 | 77 | 1 1 . 7 | 67 | 6
    6 | 33 | 6 4 . 5 | 65 | 6

    Let our glory be | in the | Cross
    of our . Lord | Jesus | Christ;

    in Him we | have sal- | vation,
    life, and . resur- | rëc- | tion,

    ——
    through Him we are . rescued and | sët | free.
    Thanked by 2DL Christianne
  • Thank you, Richard! I totally agree. I've never been happy with notepads limitations. I really need to decide on a program to buy that I have more options with.

    I usually record them for my choir or we just practice so they get the chanting or rhythmic feel of them.
  • RedPop4
    Posts: 49
    Those are lovely.
    Thanked by 1Christianne
  • achoyce91
    Posts: 167
    I probably would've notated each vocal staff designation as soprano/alto and tenor/bass. I know there are probably software limitations and you can't use 1, 2, 3, 4 layers, but it's a bit odd to designate them as only soprano and bass especially when you said the choir that sings this has no bass.
  • Yes, that is rather silly. Unfortunately, it only lets you put soprano /bass for each clef. I haven't found any way to change it. It's a very bare bones program. But we sing all the notes we can! I didn't want to leave the bass notes out for other choirs who might have someone to sing that part.
    They all know what line to follow.
  • Christianne,

    I'm relieved to know that your use of meter is mostly accidental rather than intentional.

    SAL-va-SHUN? for example, in the hands of a modernist could have such a bouncy, syncopated rhythm that the African bongos would be needed as a prop, even with no competent player nearby.