TTB Requiem
  • OMagnumMysterium
    Posts: 193
    I am trying to arrange a simple acapella TTB setting of the Requiem that a more advanced schola could use to supplement parts of the chant.

    Attached is a draft of the Introit and Kyrie. I'd appreciate feedback. The Polyphony is from Martini and Casciolini.
    I can't get the pdf to attach for some reason (I guess the way I made it is weird), but this link should work to see the score.

    One issue with the Introit and Kyrie is length. Since there is no incensing, the Priest usually must wait a while for the singing. I was able to cut down the length a little bit in the Kyrie, but not a ton.

    Also, I have looked at the Requiem Mass composed by Jeffrey Quick. I have nothing bad to say about it, and it's rather inspiring, but I just don't think it's what I'm looking for (at least for the Introit and Kyrie).
    TTB_Requiem_Introit_and_Kyrie_3-20-24.mp3
    3M
    Thanked by 3Paul F. Ford CHGiffen sdtalley3
  • sdtalley3sdtalley3
    Posts: 260
    Can you provide any PDF’s by any chance?
  • OMagnumMysterium
    Posts: 193
    Yes. It's being really weird for some reason. I had to change it from a google doc to a slide and then do two separate pages, but here it is.

    I wanted a quick way to show both chant and modern notation, so I thought pasting images would be easiest, but it's not working well. I don't know any free program that easily makes scores with both notations, but I'll figure out some better solution before I go much further.
    Requiem Introit (Draft 1).pdf
    451K
    Requiem Kyrie, Draft 1.pdf
    510K
    Thanked by 2sdtalley3 CHGiffen
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,981
    You could do it in Musescore. But the alignment of neumes is bad and they are too small.

    If you want the incipits in square notation rather than in modern (although that is unusual), I’m sure that Adobe has something that would allow for you to add the chant as a graphic inside of an existing PDF (we do this with the Gloria Patri of introits sometimes). But I’d just use modern notation for such short parts.
    Thanked by 1OMagnumMysterium
  • OMagnumMysterium
    Posts: 193
    Here is a first stab at the offertory.

    Feedback is welcome, I wrote the polyphony myself. The score aesthetics are a mess, but I'm not worried about that right now. I'm just figuring out content, nice typesetting will be later.
    Quam Olim.mp3
    1M
    Req Offertory (rough draft 1).pdf
    3M
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • OMagnumMysterium
    Posts: 193
    Here are my attempts at arrangements for the Gradual, Tract, Sequence, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Communion antiphon. For the Agnus Dei, I think my best option is Casciolini's setting. Trying to use a less homophonic setting from one of the high renaissance composer would probably require the priest to wait, which doesn't seem appropriate to me for that part of the Mass.

    The Communion is meant to be sung alternating as follows: Chant antiphon, psalm verse, polyphonic antiphon, psalm verse, chant antiphon, etc.

    Any feedback is appreciated.
    Gradual, Tract, Sequence.pdf
    6M
    Sanctus.pdf
    57K
    Sanctus.mp3
    2M
    Benedictus.pdf
    61K
    Benedictus.mp3
    1M
    Agnus Dei - Casciolini.PNG
    962 x 752 - 130K
    lux aeterna.pdf
    44K
    lux aeterna.mp3
    4M
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,981
    For what it’s worth, the chant antiphon is short and flexible, but ironically and to my great frustration the communions at a Requiem are longest on days when only serious Catholics attend, when in reality it’s inconsistent with the rest of the Mass (no blessings for ourselves or the living). So someone will probably make use of what you propose for the Communio, but it almost invites a long general communion…
    Thanked by 1OMagnumMysterium
  • OMagnumMysterium
    Posts: 193
    Well, the choir really has no say over the length of Communion, and often with funerals you can't even accurately predict the situation beforehand, so it's nice to have something that can be varied in length a lot. If the priest was the only one receiving, I would do something short as to not make him wait after the ablutions. If you're suggesting Communion should not be distributed to the faithful because of the penitential/solemn spirit of the Requiem Mass, I think I would disagree, but it's not really my call to make anyway. I would hope that everyone receiving Communion is offering up that Communion specifically for the soul of the deceased, and so I would consider that justification enough for a long general Communion, even if that wasn't done traditionally.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,981
    Yes, which gets to my point: if it varies in length unpredictably, you don’t want something to feel incomplete.

    But since we are going further: there is no reason to commune at a Requiem Mass, unless you’re the celebrant. “More frequent communion” is not the same as “commune at every possible opportunity”, and since funerals

    While it is true that the choir doesn’t have a choice per se, they set the tone in a way, which would be the case here.
  • OMagnumMysterium
    Posts: 193
    Well. regarding the music, what would you suggest?

    In the case of only the celebrant receiving, I think I would attempt the following:

    1. Chant antiphon
    2. Chant verse De Profundis
    3. Polyphonic antiphon
    4. Chant verse Requiem aeterna
    5. Chant * Cum sanctis

    I calculate that would take just over two minutes. If you start as soon as the celebrant receives the host, you could hopefully finish the music by the time he has finished receiving the precious blood, done ablutions, and read the Communion antiphon. If your priest is fast enough that doing a verse still makes it too long, remove the verse De Profundis and repetition of antiphon. So you either do chant only, or use the polyphony followed by verse Requiem and Cum sanctis.
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