Divine Praises (Laudes Divinæ) in English
  • Mark M.Mark M.
    Posts: 632
    My friend Peter Romero has written a wonderful English setting of the Divine Praises, and has given me permission to share it with all of you for your non-commercial liturgical use and enjoyment. It's for three equal voices, unaccompanied.

    He and I, along with another friend, sang this at a benediction service a few weeks ago.

    Feel free to download this recording, too. It's a multitracked recording of the composer on all three voices.
  • Mark M.Mark M.
    Posts: 632
    I know this thread has been naturally fading away into forum memories, but I'd like to bring it back here just one more time, hoping to highlight my friend's work.

    The piece is only a minute-and-a-half long. Please consider listening to it and/or downloading the PDF. He would welcome your constructive feedback.
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    I like it. Did he use AutoTune to tweak his voice?
  • Mark M.Mark M.
    Posts: 632
    A delayed response here, Pes. (Sorry!) The composer told me:

    I recorded it in a program called MultiTrack Studio. I've had the "lite" version for some time now, but it doesn't allow for more than three tracks and can't export the final audio file, so I just purchased the full version for $70. That and a cheapo microphone is about it. This piece is actually in 5 tracks, with the top and bottom voices doubled... each pair includes a close-miked "blendy" track and another with me singing in a louder, more toothy tone. I did spend some time re-recording sections of each track that weren't well in tune, as well as moving things and playing with fader envelopes to get the beginnings and endings of words to coincide (which they didn't). I quickly faded each track out between phrases to cut the mike static and breath noise. Then, to the entire piece I applied an EQ to bring out the consonants, a slight chorus effect, and reverb.


    He didn't mention anything to me about AutoTune. Having sung with him a number of times, I know his pitch is usually spot-on!

    (Thoughts from anyone else here on the piece? Thanks again!)
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    Thanks for pushing this back up. I'll download it and see how it sounds with my women's group. Talk about a good piece for looking at tuning the ensemble!

    I like it.
  • maestrodicapella
    Posts: 129
    That's very nice - well done Peter Romeo!

    Please feel free to use my version for priest/cantor and SATB. It has never been performed so please let me know if you use and how successful it was!

    RB.

    A .pdf is attched.
    LaudesDivinae (R. Bryce).pdf
    22K
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    Here is a plainchant version -- in case you need something in a pinch. Whole congregation could sing this easily.
    Divine_Praises.pdf
    96K
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    here is how Arlene's version sounds
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    Nice! Now let's harmonize it using Peter's approach.
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Flor Peeters?
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    Him, too!
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    Look at this obscure and very beautiful Latin setting. Extremely beautiful.

    It was forwarded to me just now by Dr. Peter A. Kwasniewski of Wyoming Catholic College.

    If I get a chance later today I'll try to typeset it in Meinrad. If someone gets to it before I do - great!
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    Quick question about that one, AOZ. Is there any reason not to use a Fa clef here instead? The intervals are the same.

    I'm wondering if this last setting you posted was written for a priest. IIRC, the Sacramentary uses the same clef position, only with fewer lines.

    The chant in the Sacramentary is a typographical mess, by the way, looking exactly as if someone rushed to produce it, pell-mell.
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    Pes, do you mean on the Latin one?
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    Here is a lovely edition, in Latin, sent to me by Dom Cuthbert Brogan OSB.
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    Yes, AOZ.

    The next one (Latin, Brogan) certainly is somber!
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    Yes, then, it could work. Would be easily readable that way, anyway.

    But isn't the Brogan one pretty to look at????
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    Absolutely, it's wonderful to look at!
  • Dan F.Dan F.
    Posts: 205
    Msgr. Schuler composed an English chanted Divine Praises. It is still sung at St. Agnes in St. Paul, MN. Does anybody have an electronic copy he or she could send me? I've only heard it a few times and can't write it out.
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    And here is another version by Achille Bragers, Belgian organist and composer, and great promoter of Gregorian Chant. Bragers co-founded and taught in New York at the Pius X school.
  • Dan F.Dan F.
    Posts: 205
    Regarding my previous request, I obtained a hard copy of the Divine Praises in English composed by Msgr. Richard Schuler in 1953. I understand he composed it when we was on staff at Nazereth Hall, the former preparatory seminary for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It has been used for years at St. Agnes in St. Paul, MN. We are now beginning to use it at Sunday vespers and benediction at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale, MN.

    Here it is.

    I transcribed the setting from stemmed notes into square notes. Please let me know of any errors you find.

    Also, there is no copyright indicated, and as far as I know it is free to use and distribute. Let me know if anybody finds otherwise.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,189
    I'm bumping this thread simply because, in my working backwards (as I have been doing) through the threads here, I find both the Romero and Bryce settings (and the recording of the Romero) very nicely crafted and worthy of a look in case anyone hasn't already seen them.
  • advocatusadvocatus
    Posts: 85
    I know there is a preference for open source material in this forum, but I wanted to call attention to Richard Proulx's English setting of the Divine Praises composed for the Madeleine Cathedral and Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City: http://www.giamusic.com/searchPDFS/G4328.pdf
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