What do you use? The Alstott “Mary had a little lamb” acclamation has been a staple in my home parish since…ever. I actually don’t really know much else out there. I want to suggest something else next year to our committee.
What do you use? I also wouldn’t mind being directed to sheet music of settings you like!
I've been fond of this, from Hymns Psalms & Spiritual Canticles (2nd ed. 1983, long out of print) since I first encountered it 40 years ago as a good model (a laconic chanted antiphon that can be readily remembered by a congregation in one hearing even without written music - sturdy enough to become the antiphon of an outdoor processional litany - and verses set to the Tonus Peregrinus):
I'm not the only one… thankfully? I thought this every time that I went to weekday Mass as an FUS undergrad and heard this melody during Lent. It was not fun trying to keep a straight face.
Alstott wrote some fine organ pieces that are out of print, and some other reasonably good choral pieces, but his Lenten Gospel acclamation should have been left on the editing room floor at OCP, along with multiple goofy acclamation verse settings.
I don't understand why the gospel acclamation needs to be in the book. It's a short phrase that gets repeated for multiple weeks. Surely you can just use something that doesn't already have a place in your books.
Last year, being sick of all the poor and trite options, I instead took the tracts from Graduale Simplex in an approved psalm translation, and set them to Anglican chant. The congregation can just stand, it's usually only five verses
Serviam, not sure if this was directed towards me, but when we had books pre-COVID, we regularly used acclamations that weren’t in them because, as you said, they’re short, and after a few weeks’ use, the congregation learns them well.
Peter Latona composed a lovely, simple setting of the Lenten Gospel acclamation ("praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory"). The music office at the Shrine in DC is always very good about responding to requests.
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