Any idea what the printed copied will cost?

Oh, I hope it is in square notes… and Jeff tells us in one of the other threads that there may indeed be a square note edition available, perhaps in addition to a modern notation edition. Nice.

I understand how square notes could very well be off-putting for many people, especially at first glance. But I do hope that as with hearing chant and sacred music in general, and with Latin in the liturgy, and ad orientem, and other ROTR-like things, this resistance to square notes will recede. For one, it's simply beautiful to see (and it's so unlike any other sort of secular notation). Beyond that, I've found that it really is easier for me to sing chant in square notes than in round notes. Maybe it's a bit of a stretch, but I'd like to think that congregations can learn the same sort of appreciation — and maybe they could learn at least rudimentary reading techniques "by rote," essentially, by simply hearing it every week. (Seeing relatively brief and straightforward melodies in square notes, like Jeff's Chabanel Psalms, could be a great way to accomplish this.)

In any case, the hymns will be in traditional notation. No reason people can't see both.

Is it Benedict's criticism of "utility music"?

Jeff... just cannot wait to see these... My parish priest is really looking forward to this. We've been examining some of the translations of texts in our current "throwaway" missalettes and he can see how poor they are. This week's case in point was the English version of the Regina Caeli that was provided in our resources. We're planning to use it during the Easter season in English, but it is very obvious that the translation is inaccurate. One more reason to be anxiously awaiting your new hymnals...