Parish Book of Chant (2nd Ed.) Source
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    I'm wondering if anyone who was involved in compiling The Parish Book of Chant can point me to the source of the Responsorial Psalm "Miserere mei, Deus" (number 8 on pg. 8), for both text and music, and rubric, since I can't seem to find it in this form in the Lectionary or the Graduale Simplex.

    Thanks.
  • It's not a Responsorial Psalm, but a substitute for the verse before the Gospel during Lent; i.e, to replace the Alleluia.

    I was ignoring this question, having totally forgotten the source (none of the standard ones have it), and having (to my shame) virtually no notes on the compiling of PBC. By sheer serendipity (though, in fact, he was prompted by your post), I received an email from the culprit who, more or less, insisted we include this bit of liturgical arcana in PBC 2nd ed., and after another search of my bookcase, I finally found the source, which is:

    Liber cantualis, Solesmes 1978, p. 20.

    Where they got it is anybody's guess; maybe an old Pontificale? maybe Bugnini's hope chest? It still strikes me as borderline spurious (Tracts on the cheap, or something). Does anybody in the Catholic universe actually use this thing?
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  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,467
    Not Bugnini, the Liber cantualis is CMIS (and thus CMAA) backed, so resolutely anti-Bugnini. Bugnini would have put it in Jubilate Deo.
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Thanks Richard. This chant is found in the Cantus Selecti, being the whole of Ps. 50(51) with the response, but I was curious about the provenance of its use as a "Psalmus Responsorius" before the Gospel, since it doesn't follow the format or rubrics of the Responsorial Psalms before the Gospel ("Psalmus Responsorius II") for Lent in the Graduale Simplex, which always have several verses, usually about ten, with the rubric that at least five are sung, since the version of Ps. 50(51) in PBC2 only sets four verses.

    I've considered doing it at weekday Masses when there is only one reading before the Gospel, since the Simplex allows for only one chant between the First Reading and the Gospel at weekday Mass, but have always decided against it since people are so accustomed to: Reading, spoken Psalm, sung Gospel Acclamation, Gospel. And since most people follow the Liturgy of the Word in their Missals, not using the Lectionary Psalms throws them off.
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,164
    If lectors are properly trained, then the Liturgy of the Word should be clear enough that the congregation can listen to the Word rather than read along. The only things they really need are the ordinaries and the propers (and the words and music to the sequence, if there is one for that day.).
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