So while we are waiting for Spanish propers to be developed over time, perhaps along with the new translation next year, What do folks find is the best available Spanish missal?

We will hopefully be doing away with disposable Missalettes for the English Mass by obtaining either Lumen Christi Missal/Hymnal or the new Isaac Jogues, but before comparable Spanish products are available, we need to make sure there is still a Spanish resource for readings, ordinary of the Mass, and I suppose some hymns. I wondered what the best Missal or insert might be.

Thanks, Nathan...

I've decided to begin working on some of the Introit and Communion propers as a personal project. I'm using the Gregorian Missal, Fr. Weber's book and the Ainslie Propers as a sort of guide.

Here is my 20th and 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time first offerings... I'd appreciate feedback, especially from those who have Spanish liturgies.

Edit: See Rev 1 below with adjustments. Thanks for the comment! (the starting files were removed)

Thanks very much for taking the time to look at it, Richard! I made adjustments. I agree with you very much upon reflecting. I made changes in both settings of the introits for 20th OT.

Thank you!! How about this revision with the "te" on "vino"?

Exaltation of the Cross

Here's a revision of the first line of the introit to illustrate some changes:

* When there's a rising melodic figure on a diphthong, it feels awkward and does not sound euphonious. (This is just my opinion, of course.) I made several changes to avoid most of these.
* The three-note figure in the middle of "salvacion" creates a false accent on "-va-", even though the normal word accent falls on the third syllable; so I rearranged the notes to avoid it.

Exaltation of the Cross

Have you thought about doing a recording or two?

Not necessarily even a Youtube; you could just put up an mp3 at a host site somewhere and provide a link.

(I say this as finding it interesting to look at the scores, but never yet having learned any Spanish myself.)

A note on the Assumption introit: is it right to present "pies" as a two-syllable word?

I've been looking for diction guidance on-line, and what I've seen so far about the treatment of diphthongs suggests that this kind of diphthong is one syllable only: it's a "weak" glide vowel ("i" or "u") plus a "strong" vowel ("a", "e", or "o"). [If there were an accent on the glide vowel, then there would be distinct syllables.] Can anyone confirm or correct that?

I'm going to repeat what I said above because I think it bears on a matter of deep, fundamental importance in our liturgy. No one. No one of our most eminent chant scholars is attempting anything at all like this in English, even though it is needed sorely. There is, of course, the Palmer-Burgess adaptations, which are widely used in the Ordinariate, and, apparently, in not a few Roman rite places. They are not wholly inappropriate (under present circumstances) for Roman rite use, though I, for one, do not like the juxtaposition of linguistic styles (and even less so of different languages altogether) in the ritual parts of a given mass. This results in an aesthetic and inherently disruptive pastiche. Ornaments to the ritual, such as motets and anthems are another, ornamental matter.

Too, there is Bruce Ford's very commendable American Gradual, which has the lamentable fault of not being in chant notation, a failing which is hurtful to those who really take their chant seriously. But, at least, there is no problem with a jarring juxtaposition of linguistic register.

Very lamentable is the fact that of the several truly great Catholic chant scholars in our midst, none of them is taking this task seriously - other than to heap contempt on the work of those who have given us their best at it, namely, P-B and Bruce Ford. Rather than to pour scourn on the efforts of others we might desire something more positive - such as their own adaptations of the GR, which would be welcomed with open arms. I know one of these scholars personally quite well. We are friends. I have nothing but effusive admiration for his work, the genius of his own chant compositions, and consider myself a loyal disciple of his scholarship. But mention of putting the GR into modern Roman English, which he could do with exquisite beauty, has fallen on deaf ears.

Some day the propers will be restored to their place as inherent, required, elements of the liturgy. And some day some blessed scholar will give us an exquisite adaptation of the GR chants in English - together with, as an option, newly composed chant settings of the entire cycle of Responsorial Psalms, responsories, verses, and all... and the Alleluya and its verse. All of this in one book! A complete, real Graduale in English. It is becoming more prevalent now (we should be thankful for 'small favours'!) to publish newly composed chant entrance and communion antiphons. (Um, where's the offertory????... the psalm???... the alleluya and verse???) Most of these do not even represent the texts of the GR antiphons, but the ones from the missal which are not even intended to be sung!!! And, these do not constitute a complete cycle of the five items that are The Propers for every mass. Entrance and communion antiphons - half measures - not complete propers. As so often is the case, our publishers are hobbling together something that they think will 'sell', and marketing it to people who are ignorant as to the fact that what they are buying is not timeless chant, is really not The Propers, but something that has a 'traditional' feel to it made up from whole cloth - and to which (as is all too common with 'people') they will become so addicted that they will rarely move on to the 'real thing'. But! Better this than the (available) alternatives.

AND! What I've just said applies in equal measure to our colleagues in the Spanish world, the French world, the German world, and all other worlds. May what Janet is doing prosper and bear fruit!

Introits for 20th OT, versions 1 and 2 - Dios nuestro

MJO: Actually, Fr. Weber's "Proper of the Mass" (Ignatius press) comes closest to P-B in presenting the Entrance and Communion Antiphons and Offertory Responsories in adaptations of their full Gregorian form using, when available, the approved English text from the Missal. It also includes simpler settings, like the Anglican Use Gradual, for less experienced singers. AND the psalms are set to authentic Gregorian psalm-tones (simple and solemn), not to any new-fangled ones.

It would, however, in my opinion, be difficult to compile a whole Gradual in English at this point, until official translations of the intervenient chants from the Graduale are given. To set all of the Responsorial Psalms and Alleluia verses from the Lectionary would itself be a two-volume edition. After all, Arlene's "Parish Book of Psalms" is itself a hefty volume, equal in size to the Simple English Propers. To put everything needed for the New Mass in English: Kyrial, Introits, Graduals, Alleluias, Tracts, Sequences, Offertories, Communions, into one book would create a volume larger than the "Liber Usualis".

Recordings:

Communion Antiphons, 27th Week of Ordinary Time
Introit (versions 1 and 2), 26th Week of Ordinary Time

Having gotten used to monosyllable "Dios" the pi - es struck me too, as did generati-ones.

I don't see the problem with Bruce's work: when one knows more than one notation the choice of 5 or 4 lines, H40 beamed quavers or H82 two line staffs is about as 'hurtful' as learning Shakespeare set (the horror! the horror!) in Times New Roman.

It's nice to see this being done. A Spanish Palmer-Burgess! Now, all we need is a French one... and a German one... and... and a Roman English one..... and.....

I believe that the French one was already started by Mocquereau. (Or so I'm told.)

29OT, 30OT, 31OT, 32OT, All Saints, All Souls + Funeral, 1st Advent

Janet, I will certainly be using these for Christmas Midnight Mass, Confirmation, and the Triduum.
I can't wait to hear what you come up with for Midnight Mass.
Great work and much appreciated.

Starting in October I hope to use these.

I could use a set of simple Spanish propers for weekday Masses. Something seasonal like the Graduale Simplex. There was such a project started at marello.org, but I haven't seen any updates in a long time. Does anyone know more about this or if anyone is interested in continuing it. I'd like to help, but I don't know Spanish well enough.

I'm also always looking for good settings of the ordinary in Spanish.

Work is progressing, including the addition of several more simpler versions. I've also added a few more recordings. I'm behind on recordings, relative to the chant notation, but am now up to Advent 2.

http://castraponere.com/janet/spanish-propers-project/

Excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor... Wow!
These texts are superbly set to the Gregorian chants. The simpler versions are just what I am looking for to introduce my Spanish choir to regular Gregorian chant. Please tell me you are working on the verses. This is actually very exciting! I know of at least 3 parishes where these will quickly be put into regular use.
Keep up the good work, Janet! Thank you and God Bless!

Moving along through the liturgical calendar. I'm up to 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time with pdf files... lagging a bit on recordings... just finished Epiphany.

I have tried (with no success) to purchase a copy of the Mexican Missal (2nd ed. -- the last one approved for use by the USCCB, from what I can gather. The 3rd ed. was not approved for use, but that is the one that is available through the Mexican publishers in Mexico). What used to cost about $72.95 is now very expensive (on Abebooks, for example) due to the scarcity.

"I have tried (with no success) to purchase a copy of the Mexican Missal (2nd ed. -- the last one approved for use by the USCCB, from what I can gather."

Since the mid-1980's all Spanish-language editions of the Misal Romano have had the same translation of the Ordinary of the Mass. The USCCB canonically approved that translation for use in the United States, and it was published by Catholic Book Publishing Company.

But the USCCB did not finish its translation of the complete missal before the third edition of the Latin Missale Romanum was published, so work on that translation was halted.

In the USA any approved Spanish translation of the complete Misal Romano can be used, as long as it contains that mid-1980's texto único translation of the Ordinario de la Misa, and as long as the USA does not have its own translation of the complete missal. For a number of years I used the edition from Spain, since I preferred its translation of the proper presidential prayers to those of Mexico's edition.

Mexico's edition of the Misal Romano (based on the 2nd edition of the MIssale Romanum) has certainly been the most commonly used edition in the USA during the past 25 years or so, but it was never approved as the only edition that could be used in this country.

The problem with Mexico's fairly recent translation of the third edition of the Missale Romanum being used in the USA is this: it includes some few changes in that texto único translation of the Ordinary of the Mass. So the USCCB Liturgy Secretariat has asked that parishes not purchase that 3rd edition but, rather, wait for its own edition of the complete MIsal Romano.

By the way, I purchased a copy of Mexico's Misal Romano, 3rd edition, in Querétero in February 2015 for the US equivalent of $66.68. I imagine that the USA's edition - once it appears - will be considerably more expensive than that.

@ronkrisman... I don't have much hope of getting to Mexico to get my own copy... any ideas on where to get one? Or any online sources for ordering directly from Mexico? Since I am primarily interested in the propers, I don't think the changes in the Ordinary would be a problem for me.

I was under the impression that the USCCB was going to release a new edition of the missal 3rd edition in Spanish for use in the U.S. sometime "soon".