Systematic way to introduce Gregorian Gloria
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,204
    This fall will be critical for the people of the parish I serve, as we try to rethink how to continue the advancement of the application and use of music of the received tradition into the Sunday Mass.

    Last year my predecessor introduced the Gloria (Mass VIII, I believe, as printed in the Collegeville Hymnal) to the choral Masses. It met with resistance on some fronts, primarily because it's a darned lot of Latin for a congregation to get their mouths around, if they're not familiar with it.

    How do I effectively reintroduce it after a hiatus over the summer? To my knowledge the congregation had never sung the Gloria (in English, that is . . . the Polish Mass it is always sung) in the Mass before last year, so this is an important issue to address.

    Advice, please!
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,021
    Three suggestions:

    1) Consider reciting the Gloria at non-musical Masses as well as singing it otherwise. Let them get wrapped around the text without having to bother with the melody at the same time.

    2) Use a good, modal organ accompaniment - strictly as accompaniment, not leading as with a hymn (but I'm sure you knew that).

    3) Treat the chanted Gloria - temporarily - as choral polyphony, i.e. let the choir sing it for a couple of Sundays. Even though the choir/schola may not need it, the organ might accompany softly so the congregation gets used to that.
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