Campaign for English Propers
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    I'm thrilled to report that the campaign to fund the Simple English Propers is now at 30%. Again, the goal is a complete set in print by Advent next year - sold at direct cost and otherwise made downloadable for free forever. Every parish that has used these so far reports great results. Jennifer Pascual of St. Patrick's was just wild for them because they are accessible to every singer in every parish - and hold out the prospect of actually bridging us out of the current paradigm into truly sacred music. We have a great opportunity here. You can give as much or as little as you want, from $1 to $1000. By pooling our efforts, we can get this funded and done and make it available to the world forever.

    The truth is that these should have come out in 1969. They didn't and that's depressing. But now we have a chance to right a wrong and move forward.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    I've just written a long piece on why I think this project is so important
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    There are some interesting comments here testifying to how these propers work in regular parishes.
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    Complete!

    Thank you, most sincerely, to all those of you who made a donation toward this project, large or small. You are pioneers in a new model for sacred music commissioning, creation and publication!
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    The whole thing is incredible - and a much better model than that offered by commercial conventions.

    _____
  • WittManWilsonWittManWilson
    Posts: 76
    Are there any plans to make these propers available in standard notation as well? I have no problem with chant notation, except the fact that I've never used it and it will be an initial learning curve for me, as well as my choir. But, if these are also in standard notation, I could use them right away without much preface work on how chant notation is read.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    You can use the right away in any case. The clef [ marks the Do or C, then comes the half step and so on. That's all you really need to know to read the notes.
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    WittMan--

    I think that we will try to do an accompaniment edition to this at some point, although it certainly will not accompany the release of the book with neumes. The acc. edition will necessarily have to use modern notation, but I would encourage you to take the time to learn to read the neumes. It is not hard, actually quite easy, and will be an investment or you and your choir that will open up a whole new world of repertoire to you! Dedicate a few hours to it and you'll be there in no time.
  • WittManWilsonWittManWilson
    Posts: 76
    Do you have a timeline for when these will be available? The priest at my church wants the Communion Proper sung each Sunday, followed by a hymn. These would really help me out in trying to find the proper in english for each week.
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    You can download them weekly at chantcafe.com, but these are not final drafts (yet). The final book is still in preparation, but I have high hopes that in a couple of months it will be ready, *fingers crossed*...
  • Jeffrey MorseJeffrey Morse
    Posts: 203
    These english propers are splendid and eminently singable and beautiful! I have been spreading the news to my colleagues as I hope we ALL are. The regular singing of the propers is key to the "reform of the reform" and I hope we may soon find these propers sung in more and more parishes. How lucky we are to have a musician of Adam Bartlett's calibre on this project, the way in which he has set the texts remains true to Gregorian principles and the texts are easily sung and have a completely natural feel.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    Jeffrey, thank you so much for saying this. I'm thrilled at both the project and the innovative manner in which it came to be funded. I'm especially inspired by everyone who donated to become a patron of the project - the small, large, and medium donors, everyone working together to do something spectacular. i hope this case inspires other such efforts along these lines.
  • BachLover2BachLover2
    Posts: 330
    a truly great project. congrats to adam and JT
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    God provides you just what you need.

    Thanks for the project and sharing it with us.
  • WittManWilsonWittManWilson
    Posts: 76
    Is it possible to get these chants more than a week or so in advance? I would like to add them to a seasonal music sheet for the conregation, but I don't want to have to copy one every week. I would like to have a sheet with the communion antiphon for every sunday in advent and christmas. Then I could put them all together and refer to the sheet each week when communion is distributed.

    I love how there are psalm verses for each antiphon. It makes it that much more usable.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    I agree about Psalms for antiphons
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    WittMan--Please know that I hear your concern loudly and clearly, and know that I'm doing everything I can to get these settings out in advance.

    There are two basic issues that are keeping me at this point from working too far ahead:

    1. The antiphons are formulaic and I have to consider all texts in a particular mode 'in toto'. In other words, it takes time to allow the formula to stabilize and for me to assure that all of the texts are set properly in a way that they are clearly reflecting the same formula. I have 23 formulas I'm working with and basically 2 of them are completely done and the antiphons are ready to go. For the other 21, I can crank out antiphons, but I can't assure that they will be the final version. This is one issue that is keeping me from working too far ahead. As soon as the antiphons are complete, and this could be done in a month or so, then we'll be able to produce nearly the entire book.

    2. The same sort of systematic effort is being applied to the modifying of the Douay Rheims translation of the psalms. This is very delicate work and in an ideal world we (myself and a linguist colleague) could start from psalm 1 and end with psalm 150 and then go about using them as psalm verses. But we're having to prioritize this work and sometimes have to go back and make changes. This, again, discourages working too far ahead because much of it will have to be redone or fixed if we do.

    So... thank you for your patience! The week-to-week editions are in beta. Consider yourself a pioneer, and think about how easy it will be in a few months when you have the entire book and a digital edition that you can use for as many booklets and custom resources as you'd like!

    Thank you to everyone else for your patience. Know that I'm doing everything I can to make this project come to completion.
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