Newly composed chants for gradual and divine office
  • Over the past 10 years, I composed virtuoso chants for the whole gradual and a large part of the divine office. It's for a single voice, due to the ornamentations (vocal trill, grupetto) it requires a professional singer to perform

    attached files are examples sung by me (2 offertories with verses and 2 psalm chants for divine office) the 2 offertories can be considered a very radical interpretation of original gregoriant chants. the 2 divine office chants are completely new composition
    If anyone is interested, I can post the whole sheet music here
    some other examples have been uploaded to https://soundcloud.com/weikang-cai
    Easter_Sun_ii_4_off.mp3
    7M
    Ascension_4_off.mp3
    9M
    Feria_II_ad Nonam_3 psalmus_32_ii.mp3
    8M
    InNativitateDNJC8Psalmus95.mp3
    9M
  • Here's the sheet music for Christmas Matins
    It has invitatory, the 9 psalms and responses
    All my works are public domain, feel free to distribute and modify

    In Nativitate Domini ad Matutinas.pdf
    534K
  • Sheet music for divine office psalter for the whole week, "per annum" and "in T.P." for vesper and compline. "per annum" for Terce, Sext and None, for paschal time the chant is usually in the same tone VIII.

    it also contains "Magnificat" in all 8 tones. 2 chants are composed for tone 8 and tone 2, since they're used much more often than other tones in the antiphonarium

    The sunday psalms are often chanted in tones other than the ones in the psalter, they are still work in progress I'll post them after they're finished

    also I don't know why I can't play my mp3 uploads by clicking the file. I can only play the music by right clicking the file and save it to hard disk
    Psalterium Divini Officii.pdf
    6M
    Sabbatum ad Nonam 1 psalmus 108 I.mp3
    7M
    Sabbatum ad Nonam 2 psalmus 108 II.mp3
    8M
    Dominica ad Tertiam 1 psalmus 118 iii.mp3
    9M
    Feria V ad Vesperas 1 psalmus 132.mp3
    7M
    Thanked by 1Richard Mix
  • the gradual, some chants also contains tropes.

    communion.pdf contains extra psalm verses for communion chant also the psalm verse for introit
    graduale 2024.pdf
    9M
    Communion.pdf
    3M
    Thanked by 1Richard Mix
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 381
    Divine Office psalmody set as a highly ornate chant for a solo voice goes directly against Tra le sollecitudini 11.

    It could be argued that this prescription is never more in force (IGLH 122; in the US also Sing to the Lord 233-235), but singing the whole psalmody throughout in a soloist fashion is still a bad idea.
    Thanked by 1OMagnumMysterium
  • To igneus:

    How about Laudate Dominum by Mozart KV 339? a solo voice (soprano) with the accompany by an orchestra.

    Ornate, solo, orchestra, female voice, you name it, that piece has it. and sure enough, it's for divine office
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 381
    I'm in no way denying existence of such repertory. Tra le sollecitudini 11 was clearly not written to forbid something imaginary, it reacted to the liturgical practice of its period.

    I'm also not denying artistic value of some of these compositions. But how they work liturgically is another thing. And yet another thing is to set this way (not one of the five psalms, taking on different musical forms, but) the whole Vespers psalmody.
  • Who can doubt the liturgical value of Mozart's work? you can't simply ban something that has been in use for more than 100 years
    Have you heard how Greeks sing psalms in byzantine chant?
    I write my chants for a single voice, because I know the dire situation of small churches. no sung mass for months. It's difficult to find a single cantor, let alone a choir. the difficulty of my pieces are intended to attract professionals. I have never seen (maybe you have) opera singers sing gregorian chant. but some of them do sing Mozart's religious works
  • Respectfully (and I really do mean to be respectful).

    I can (and do) doubt the liturgical value of Mozart's work. I consider his music to be moderately good (but not the absolute greatest) secular music, and have rather small use liturgically. I know some people use some of his music at Mass (such as his Ave Verum), and while there is not necessarily anything wrong with his four part music, I think we can do better at Mass by using other composers (Byrd's Ave Verum, for example).

    It is true that I can't simply ban something that has been in use for more than 100 years, but a Pope (such as Pius X) can if it is an abuse, and contrary to the true tradition of the Church. If something is a legitimate abuse, it can be banned regardless of the length of time it has been used for.

    I have not heard how Greeks sing psalms in byzantine chant.

    If an opera singer felt so inclined, I'm sure they could learn Gregorian chant easily, and do a good job of it. Even three year old children sing the chant where I come from.

    Now, I say all this in an attempt to give a good and honest response. I don't mean to belittle your work or imply that what you've put together has absolutely no value.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,211
    Welcome, weikangcai.

    To explain the mp3 problem: the forum software sometimes does not behave well when the name of an attached file (mp3 or pdf) contains spaces.

    --admin
    Thanked by 1weikangcai
  • If an opera...
    An opera singer singing Gregorian chant couldn't be less inappropriate than Mozart himself.
    The thought of it makes one weep.
    Nor does one hundred years of usage ipso facto render appropriate what is fundamentally inappropriate.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen tomjaw
  • I made some corrections to the Christmas Matin, and recorded 2 more psalms
    The invitatory (94) and the first psalm (2)
    Let's see whether mp3 works this time
    InNativitateDomini.pdf
    534K
    Invitatorium.mp3
    12M
    1Psalmus2.mp3
    11M
  • @M. Jackson Osborn
    I didn't mean an opera singer singing chant as opera, or with opera technique. I meant that someone who had already learned one style of singing could learn chant as well. An opera singer (who presumable has good breath control, tone control, and other useful skills) could sing in a schola if they were willing to, and blend their voice with the other singers.
  • DL
    Posts: 79
    @OMM
    This is true in my experience.
  • Psalm 109 in various tones (1,2,3,6,8). together with tone 7, which is the default sunday tone, these are the ones used in divine office
    other sunday psalms will be added later
    recording of psalm 109 in tone 1 (sheet music in this pdf)
    and magnificat in tone 2 (sheet music in the another pdf I published earlier)
    Psalmi Dominicales in Variis Tonis - Full Score.pdf
    129K
    Magnificat_Toni_II.mp3
    11M
    Psalmus_109_in_Tono_I.mp3
    7M