Rice's Choral Gradual: Do you use it?
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    Rice's Choral Gradual is again available. I'm wondering who among us uses it Mass. I know we've used it and done very well with it. I also wonder if it would be good to have in print provided the price point were right. you can write me privately if you choose.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    Yes. I'm glad that Richard is restoring accessibility.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,978
    I use it from time to time, along with those by Fr. Weber.
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    I use it, very effective, especially offertory. ( with Fr. Kelly's or Gregorian for Communio. didn't have a chance to use SEP yet. I'll be looking into it soon. So glad to have more Propers available.)
    This Sunday, I will be using it for Introit and offertory, instead of 'hymns.' (Taking a bit of bigger step. Instead of Entrance antiphone and a hymn, we will sing the antiphone and the VERSES. So glad to be able to sing Gloria Patri, even in English. Hmm, I wonder I can eventually sing Gloria Patri in Latin, after people hear it repeated, I think they can catch it on in Latin.
    I have a hymn after the Communion with the proper, and another hymn, Salve Regina after the Mass ends. I hope to introduce Alma Redemptoris Mater next year. Have to find a way to help the congregation sing it with us.)
    Because of the snow, we didn't have a regular rehearsal this week, but It's easy enough to do decently even when you don't have enough time to practice. (of course it will be much better if we practice it more thoroughly.)
  • fp
    Posts: 63
    We started using it for Offertory a couple of months ago. The choir likes it very much and we had lot of great comments. We use Fr. Weber's for Communion.
    Florence
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    I guess my question is whether there is a point to a printed edition rather than just downloads. I know that I really appreciate and use printed editions for the choir. I get very very burned out of the search and print approach to singing.
  • rogue63
    Posts: 410
    I use the Communion every week at my school Masses. The students (ages 8-10) sing only the soprano line, but the they very much enjoy them. I am pleased and grateful to have such a resource. A print edition? Hmmmm.........it might be useful for some choirs, but my students have a hard enough time not dropping their folders and hymnals. As a solution to "search and print", I print 35 copies each week, put them in plastic sleeves, distribute to students, and collect them at the next rehearsal, and the copies will wait patiently in the filing cabinet for the next Epiphany or whatever.
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    I use them almost every week, especially for Offertory. I'm also thinking of buying a full set for my choir, mainly to support the composer's worthy project.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,821
    4 part music is almost impossible here. We have had great success with the psalm tone chant style but it all comes down to how much committment of time and energy you can devote to propers in a particular parish.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    Jeffrey, there's a few aspects of your concern that each user of SCG must deliberate:
    1. Referencing the Sunday/Feast of one's purchased online version really isn't that difficult. Many ways to note what page number the previous Communio, ie. marking that page number on the Order of Music for the previous week that you undoubtedly store on a hard drive. And then saving them as r63 suggests.
    2. Book versus online:
    a. The purchase of multiple choral books would be of great benefit to Richard, rightly so.
    b. Having another book to juggle is not of great benefit, particularly if you rotate other proper sources.
    3. Online version and reproduction: I would have little problem should Richard require establishing a reasonable yearly license for multiple copy usage in order to download the SCG.
    4. The SCG, for us, has become a "certain entity" over singing its three year cycle in SATB. We don't rehearse the processionals until we're in the church on a "loo" vowel. Creates a nice sonic ambience as people are gathering, preparing and praying. Once you can get at least 2 on a part SATB habitually sung, the formulae Richard uses almost becomes second nature. And that's why....
    5. It might, along with SEP/AUG, be the best propers option for the non-tradition ensemble/cantors. I know that rolled chords on a piano or organ are anethema to Richard personally, but it is not a difficult enterprise to approach for the "ensembles" out there.
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    I want to make sure that, since it's not easy for me to follow updates on new translation on propers, Richard deosn't have to change texts when the new translation gets implemented?
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    Oops, I just noticed that Jeffrey already mentioned it in Chantcafe.

    "As sung antiphons, there is no requirement that they adopt the precise wording of the Missal antiphons."
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    One issue, it turns out, is that the SCG uses Grail 1963, so there would be licensing fees (probably) on a print edition.

    I'm currently working with GIA on fees for using the Revised Grail, so I'll have a better idea of how viable this is once those contracts are presented (today perhaps?)
  • SkirpRSkirpR
    Posts: 854
    What, perchance are you considering purchasing rights to the Revised Grail for?

    My copy of the book came today, and while we can think what we want about the translation and the copyright issues, two principles about the RGP appeal to me very much:
    1. It is a moderate translation, fixing the problems with 1963 Grail, but still with language that is very singable, and supposedly based in the usage of the early Church.
    2. The goal is to standardize the Psalm translations liturgically across the English-speaking world. While right now we have a choice to use whatever Psalm translation we want, I sense that if things keep going in this direction, there will be a new Lectionary and Liturgy of the Hours in maybe 10 years' time that uses the RGP and then its use will be mandated.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    I'm speaking of the Rice Choral Gradual here. It uses 63.
  • darelmass
    Posts: 11
    My choir used Rice's SCG last year but we grew a bit bored with it. For SATB propers I like to point psalms for Anglican chant. Certainly more work is involved in pointing them yourself, but the Anglican chants are very satisfying musically.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,978
    I often use the Weber propers, but there are gaps in them. For example, this week's file was evidently corrupt and wouldn't open. Sometimes there is no file to open. I used the Rice SCG today, since our choir has not rehearsed in a month because of severe weather. They are easy to sing, and the choir sight read them successfully. It works well for us to use both Rice and Weber propers.
  • svaillan
    Posts: 39
    We use the Rice SCG at SS Peter and Paul Basilica in Maine
  • BachLover2BachLover2
    Posts: 330
    we use it and love it
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