Has no one condemned you, woman? • Nemo te condemnavit free transcription
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,889
    Greetings all,
    I wanted to offer a free PDF to my arrangement of 'nemo te condemnavit'. It is a rendering of the antiphon into english (with verses and gloria included) for choirs that need to chant in the vernacular. As with any transcription, it has pros and cons (and in truth, the original antiphon is not that difficult, in the grand scheme of things). But there are many novus ordo churches that aren't opposed to chant, per se, but are to latin, so this is a handy resource for such parishes.

    Our choir has been working hard the last three years to become proficient at chanting, and now at communion we sing in alternatum between men and women. It has a monastic feel to it and works very well. This particular chant is a dialogue between Christ and the woman whom he saves from stoning on account of her adultery. By its very nature, it lends itself perfectly to this type of chanting.

    The verses are taken from "communio with english verses" and the gloria patri is a hybrid between Fr. Weber's and the Palmer/Burgess version.

    you can download the free score here:
    https://psallitedomino.com/blog/has-no-one-condemned-you

    and here's a YT recording:
    https://youtu.be/dLmpskeHW74
    Thanked by 4StimsonInRehab CHGiffen RedPop4 Bri
  • RedPop4
    Posts: 50
    Excellent, excellent.
    Thanked by 1ServiamScores
  • Jehan_Boutte
    Posts: 264
    I find this adaptation very felicitous.
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,187
    Very nicely adapted: adapting English even to psalm tones is not easy.

    To be honest I'd prefer if the Gloria Patri tone was either used all through or not at all: does it not come as a surprise to hear it only at the end?

    And... when making an audible dialogue out of one of the “dramatic” antiphons, one must make a choice. There are no literal choral voices in the Gospel text. You chose to use women's voices for the “sinner” and men's voices for the “Lord”. But you also have a (solo) Cantor. Could that voice be the Lord, who is one, and all the chorus be the sinners, as all of us are in need of forgiveness?
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,889
    Certainly a choir director can adapt it however they prefer! Nothing is set in stone here. This is just how I’ve devised for us to sing it. But I rather like your idea of cantor for Christ and chorus for the woman as well.

    As for the Gloria Patri, that traditionally only occurs after the final verse; I just skipped verses 2 & 3 to keep the demo track short. We will repeat the refrain after each verse and sing the GP before the final repetition of the refrain.
    Thanked by 1Andrew_Malton
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