I've heard of this possibility in several dioceses, and I don't like it. It's not that I don't see it as an opportunity, it's that I know which Masses will be chosen as the norm. I sincerely hope whoever is deciding considers what music he or she would like to hear at Mass for the next 20 or so years. I dread what that mandate may be.

Peter Kolar managed to convince several dioceses to use his setting, Misa Luna, as the Mass of choice. In fact, El Paso is using it. I have heard it. In fact, he came down to our diocese under the guise of teaching about sacred music. All he had the choirs do was learn his setting. The El Paso model and what happened at our doicese were bad ideas, since, in Kolar's case, he took it upon himself to translate "Christ has died..." into Spanish, an ilicit act in and of itself.

If Cleveland wants to have a main setting, why not just use the ones already provided for by ICEL. Now, if there are mixed language groups, Pope Benedict XVI suggests this (from Sacramentum Caritatis):

I am thinking here particularly of celebrations at international gatherings, which nowadays are held with greater frequency. The most should be made of these occasions. In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican Council, (182) that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, it is fitting that such liturgies be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers (183) of the Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung.

deleted

I live in the Diocese of Cleveland and this is the first I've heard of this. With Bishop Lennon in place, it is very possible though. This idea really scares me. I can only imagine sitting through something I do not like every Sunday for who knows how long.

There is too much diversity among the parishes in this diocese to have mandated ordinaries...

Bobby Bolin :The mandate seems apply only to diocesan or multi parish functions.
I would not expect the mandate to be too far from the "Mass of Creation", the "Community Mass", or the "Danish Mass".
My disappointment was that in the notice I received did not list the ICEL chanted ordinaries or the Gregorian ordinaries mentioned in STL as choices. Including one chanted Mass setting as one on the three choices for all diocesan or multi parish Masses would be significant. So many recent Church instructions continue to promote Gregorian Chant that I would expect my own diocese to defer to (or at least acknowledge) some of the wisdom the the Holy Church gives us.
We have good leadership here and a great oppertunity to promote chant.

I just received word from Greg that it was Bishops interest in the ICEL's new music intitated his survey of what the area musicians would prefer. It was an oversite that the ICEL's music was omitted from the choices.

The fact that a musical setting is going to be contained in the Sacramentary seems to me to be a mandate in itself. Musical notation could have been left out completely, or any number of composers and songwriters could have been asked to provide settings to be included in the appendix of the publication. Neither of these situations is the case. The only reason I can think of that a musical setting would be included in a ritual book is that that music is intended to be used in the ritual.

I also received the following, suggesting consensus on Mass settings for parishes in the same county. Quit a surprise. I'll try to be at the meeting, but I also know most of the musicians in this area are NPM chapter members, not CMAA. I hope you pray for us.

" This past Monday we had a very enlightening and useful workshop on the new Missal here at Church ...... It was sponsored by our local NPM chapter with some help from our new Office of Worship. The day was highlighted by keynote addresses by Fr. Rick Hilgartner who is an expert on the upcoming changes.

One of the topics discussed was the potential challenge parishioners will have if they happen to go from one parish to another and the ritual music will be different. We at NPM ....chapter are considering whether or not as an archdiocese we can come to a consensus of perhaps four settings to choose from. Within our small group here in .......y there are eight different parishes. Imagine that on any given Sunday or at any given funeral there will be eight completely different settings of the Glory to God, the Holy Holy, etc. If we were to be able to decide on four that we all liked, maybe that would bring about a better sense of uniformity.

It occurred to me that maybe it is too much to get a consensus within the entire archdiocese or to try and enforce that. It also might not make much sense because who from ...... county or even..... would be traveling to ..... for Mass? I suppose it could happen, but not likely. Instead I reckon there is greater amount of “inter-parish” activity at a more local level. So I thought it would be wiser to start here...."

I'd be interested to see what this really means. If this is a mandate as the ONLY setting of the Mass, I am absolutely against it. First of all, for those of us who have active plainsong choirs, feast days, seasons, etc. have different Masses that are most appropriate. Some also sing polyphonic settings at times. To be required to sing only one setting of the Mass severely limits developed programs.

Now, I have heard of dioceses that will have an "official" setting of the Ordinary. This is generally a setting that every parish is required to know, but certainly not required to do every single Sunday. It's helpful for when there are diocesan gatherings (Chrism Mass, Ordinations, etc...). Mandating a plainsong setting of the Mass for something like that would excellent and I'd support it whole-heartedly.

I'd suggest that if it meant temporarily giving up other settings for awhile to establish this as the "standard" ordinary for a diocese it would be worth it.

There are diocese where the official mass, I have heard, is the Mass of Creation.

Would stamping that out not be worth singing a simple English chant Mass for a time?

So, that's a yes?
@Cantate- I think that such a mandate would function much as the "Jubilate Deo" mandate (which, by force of legislation should remain in all the same resources.) Clearly, it would compete with both revised and newly set ordinaries. But I agree that by virtue of it being there, DM's and choir directors should give it a higher priority than a cursory "We won't do this."

Here is the STTL - though not a real-man - date, BUT it does carry some rank and IS worthy of notice.
75. Each worshiping community in the United States, including all age groups and all
ethnic groups, should, at a minimum, learn Kyrie XVI, Sanctus XVIII, and Agnus Dei XVIII, all of
which are typically included in congregational worship aids. More difficult chants, such as
Gloria VIII and settings of the Credo and Pater Noster, might be learned after the easier chants
have been mastered.

Do any other RECENT documents that give preference to the Gregorian ordinaries? Is there a recent document that encourages the chanting of the correct seasonal Gregorian Ordinary? Has Jubilate Deo been revised? I know the Gradual and the Simplex are mentioned as preferred options for the propers- just wondering if there is a similar position for the ordinaries.

Thanks Ralph for the quote from STTL. This is good. Also this, although it's not so recent.

"Steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them." (Section 54, the Second Vatican Council, in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy)

I just spoke with a music director in this area about Jubilate Deo be included in the suggested settings for the parish in this area. (Most hymnals have them, although most parishes here have been ignoring them.) There's a hope. (by the way, this is not Cleveland area.)

The use of the Mass of the Dead at ordinary OF Masses does cause a problem when the congregation sings at an EF funeral and the last phrase of the Agnus Dei turns into a train wreck.

It seems wrong to have to stand up before an EF Funeral Mass and instruct the congregation to follow and sing the correct music for the last phrase of the AD.

Yes

Did you notice the truncation of the Jubilate Deo AD in the new English version of the ICEL chant in the Missal? They just scrapped it altogether.

I am not pleased with the English chant Kyrie - it varies too much from the Latin one right above it on the same page to make sense to a congregation.

Well....it's Greek to you! ;<) as usual, I wasn't thinking!<br />
If CMAA were to join together to create a graduated training guide to singing and playing music at Mass...it would be unstoppable.

Do any other RECENT documents that give preference to the Gregorian ordinaries?

In Apr 2010, I last updated a Google Docs spreadsheet.
I only completed the search through some of the documents; see the green/yellow status line in the spreadsheet.
Scrutinizers and assistant editors welcome.

DocumentsRecommendingOrdinaryChants
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aka8xAr4afVwdDEzcWVJREd0R0ozSkI3MjVYc0dfLVE&hl=en&authkey=CNWl_7cE

You don't want to know.

If you bitched about it last Tues. night in rehearsal, you can bitch about it here.

Well I know that our Archbishop has requested of a local composer that he give a polyphonic setting to certain parts of Credo I and III in order that they will be heard as more solemn. I know this composer well and he is very solid and loves chant and early polyphony. He played for me what he has written so far and it is very nice, sounds medieval! This is the Credo I and III chant setting from ICEL site I believe. I am very hopeful for our diocese as our Archbishop is also a fine singer and a pretty good amateur musician! He always sings the priest's chants when he Celebrates Mass, prayers too!

Charles:

Mass of St. Ann made me remember that I do, actually, like contemporary music.

JAQ: Rawr!

Francis, everyone else: It IS indeed, the Mass of St. Paul by Christopher Walker. And no, it is not the worst, but also far from the best. My plan is to just play it at about half speed. Then it at least sounds like somewhat high church, quasi-Anglican imitation crap.

Liturgical scatology? Arggghhhh