Gospel Acclamation for Lent
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    The reality is that most of us in OF parishes will not be singing the tract during Lent this year. It is difficult and requires an expert schola and ample rehearsal time. Another obstacle is that your parish and your pastor are probably nowhere near ready for the tract in place of the now-accustomed Gospel Acclamation, "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory."

    Attached is a what we will be doing during Lent this year. It is a mode II, plainsong setting of the accustomed text roughly based on the melody for the tract for the First Sunday of Lent. Accompanying verses (Ash Wednesday through Good Friday) are set to corresponding office tone II. It requires no accompaniment, and might serve you well as an alternative to what is found in Respond and Acclaim.
    GospelAcclamation_Lent.pdf
    377K
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    And here are 8 more in the 8 Gregorian modes for anyone who may have an interest.
  • incantuincantu
    Posts: 989
    Arlene, thanks for these. I notice you make rather liberal use of the auxiliary ote in the cadence for these English verses. I know there are no "rules" for English psalmody, so any application of the Gregorian tones has to be adapted. I'm working with my cantors to try to be able to work out the psalm tone verses on their own. Is there a set of personal guidelines you hold yourself to, or do you just go by what sounds right?

    @ Adam - Is there a similar booklet for Alleluia verses? What I'd like to do is sing a simple Alleluia with the congregation followed by the proper verse from the Gradual sung by the choir, but I haven't found a set of simple but reasonably authentic sounding alleluias in all eight modes in order to facilitate that.
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    Incantu -- Here is an entire rotation of Gospel Verses, as they are used in liturgies at St. Meinrad. Most of them are in the chant idiom, but a few are metered and in modern notation, although they are still modal. BEWARE, though: Most of these are not the current English translations as found in the missal, but are an earlier translation! They still may be of use to you though. Also, here are 8 basic Gregorian alleluia refrains in the 8 modes that can be used with these verses and easily sung by congregations.
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    Incantu

    About the cadences - I don't add or subtract notes or change them. I stick to them quite rigidly, actually. If I can dispense with the auxiliary tones, I do. And if I use them, I would never, for example, put more than one or two tiny words or syllables on the auxiliary notes.

    The reason I make use of these at all, in fact, is because I want to make sure the the accent (found in the musical cadence) is placed on an important word - either in terms of meaning or in terms of sonority. English is different from Latin. It is fickle. A sentence can have a different emphasis or meaning just because of where a musical accent is. There are no rules - so yes, I impose many upon myself.

    Mine is a judgment call based on wanting to be true to tradition - for the sake of continuity with the rest of the liturgy, and the Roman rite in general. But also taking into account, and making the most, of the beauty of English, and the music that can flow from it.
  • Michael O'Connor
    Posts: 1,637
    Arlene, with your permission our cathedral will also use these for Lent.
  • AOZ
    Posts: 369
    Michael, you do me a great honor.
  • Ioannes Andreades
    Posts: 310
    Those are quite nice. I wish I were in charge of programming at my parish.

    On a related note, in the USA GIRM 3rd ed. we find:
    "During Lent, in place of the Alleluia, the verse before the Gospel is sung, as indicated in the Lectionary. It is also permissible to sing another psalm or tract, as found in the Graduale [sic]."

    In the Liber Cantualis p. 20, we find the Miserere mei Deus...thing. It is Ps. 51: 3-5. This has nothing to do whatsoever with either what is in either the lectionary or gradualS. My hunch is that it is not licit to sing. Anyone know anything different?
  • incantuincantu
    Posts: 989
    Thank you and thank you!
  • mwa
    Posts: 22
    Adam Bartlett,
    I am having trouble with your link to the alleluia refrains, and would very much like to access them. Would you mind checking it?
  • Carl DCarl D
    Posts: 992
    Beautiful, Arlene - I'm going to use them!
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    @mwa

    I'm linking through just fine above, but if you're having problems you can access them at www.sacredmusicproject.com
  • Chris AllenChris Allen
    Posts: 150
    Adam, it looks like you have four slashes after the "http:" instead of two; that's probably what's causing the broken link to the Alleluias.
  • Donna Robillard
    Posts: 33
    Arlene, our cathedral would also like to use these. Thanks for sharing them.
  • ProfKwasniewskiProfKwasniewski
    Posts: 242
    Help, please! Apart from the one given in the PBC ("Laus tibi Christe..." on p. 6), I'm having no luck finding additional LATIN chant settings of the various acclamations, such as "Gloria et laus tibi, Christe" and "Laus et honor tibi," etc. (as given on p. 129 of the Ordo Lectionum Missae, cited last year by Paul Ford, I believe). Has anyone seen any of these?
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