I never use seasonal psalms. There's so many great psalms that people only get to hear once in a three year cycle, or maybe two or three times at most. I don't deprive them of that.
We sang a psalm last week, IIRC, that no one in the cantor corps knew the words to, because last time it came up in the 3 year cycle it was bumped by Transfiguration, and the previous time was under a different MD who would have sung the same psalm every week if he were able.
I am thwarted in the use of any other propers, so even if it is English to a psalm tone, I won't budge on the psalm of the Gospel acclamation.
I am not condemning seasonal psalms. We don't sing psalms at daily masses, in fact there is no music. On Sundays, they are not replacements for the psalm of the day. Besides, the pastor won't permit seasonal psalms on Sunday.
I never do seasonal Psalms. The school does, causing some to be so thoroughly sick of them by the end of whatever season, they never want to hear them again, even the kids!!
I haven't had time to reply, but since Noel wants data:
At my last parish, I used them for the communion psalm (a practice I've explained and promoted ceaselessly here), and for school Masses where the psalm of the day was not set to music.
At my current (Episcopal) church, the pastor would like me to institute sung responsorial psalmody, so I'm going to look into using a seasonal psalm as an option (or the antiphons as found in BFW)
And my opinions, without explanation: I encourage their usage where parishes are transitioning from spoken psalmody to the preferred responsorial model, as an "in between" practice. They are useful as substitutes for the minor propers, where necessary, and make a better substitute than a hymn. I wouldn't consider them ideal for the between-readings psalm, but they're better than reciting it. I don't get the scorn heaped upon them by so many forum members.
I will heap more scorn upon them. They are a poor and lazy substitute for The Propers, which are apprehended correctly as integral to the mass of the day; and which can be performed conveniently by psalm tone (a la AUG) if necessary. Also, you are probably aware of an Episcopalian book setting out the weekly psalm in responsorial fashion to psalm tones with very simple chant-like responds. I'm sorry that I don't recall its title or publisher - though I think it is had from The Church Hymnal Corporation.
P.S. - I don't mean to be abrasive, but what excuse is there for not doing The Propers in some fashion?
P.P.S. - the Psalmist has said (according to Miles Coverdale's psalter) in Psalm One that 'Blessed is the man who... hath not sat in the seat of the scornful'; so, in hopes of being among the blessed, I change my heaps of scorn to simple dumbfoundedment.
In the late 1980's to mid-90's we'd occasionally use a seasonal Psalm during Advent/Christmas/Lent. Since then Psalm of the day, strictly. OCP is in the pew, but we're working in more and more of the Chabanel Psalms (thank you once again, Jeff O., R. Rice, et al).
I think our pastor's objections to seasonal psalms between the readings comes from past experience. When he has allowed leeway in the past, musicians have simply sung what they pleased. He frequently builds his sermons around the psalm of the day, which wouldn't work at all if something else is used. I heap no scorn on seasonal psalms, they are just not a substitute for the psalm of the day.
Like others, I use Psalms such as settings of Ps 34 during Communion. Since we have both Ritualsong and United in Christ in the pews, there is plenty of choice for Ps of the day. Before I came (18 years ago) the Seasonal Psalm was being done. I found that appalling, so changed it as soon as I had the authority to do so, and now the congregation knows most of those settings and sings them rather well. I also attend my own Episcopal church in the summer, and the congregation there sings easily a simplified Anglican chant antiphonally with a cantor singing from the choir loft. But then they have had the same Organist/choirmaster for almost 40 years and have always done it that way. In fact, this Sunday the congregation sang every single hymn lustily, even the difficult Eric Routley hymn 'Litton' Sigh.
I do not use the seasonal psalms. ( No not ever. :-) ) The pews have GIA Catholic Community Hymnal; in it the psalms/refrains of the day are set by Guimont.
Graduale Simplex is above me, financially (weekly deficit, no budget, cost the same as a Gregorian Missal) and temporally (I am not in charge of rehearsals).
By Flowing Waters is above me, for the same reasons, I have five copies so far and I must re-read its copyright details. Looking ahead, I hope to replace the Communion Hymn.
I suppose you could look at the Graduale Simplex and the By Flowing Waters books as collections of seasonal psalms, but that really is not their intent. I think the appropriate descriptive phrase I discovered recently is collection of Mass formularies.
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