So, "I listened to thirty-five tracks and only recognized six at all. Of the 35, just three of the songs were traditional hymns" is in part true.
"I don't remember seeing any good choral masses for special celebrations."
SAH features several choral Mass settings worth your time reviewing:
"Mass of Renewal" by Kauffman/Gokelman won top honors at NPM nearly two years ago, and was selected by several thousand attendees out of 173 submissions. The SAH is the only hymnal to include it. William Gokelman is the head of sacred music at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio, and David Kauffman is a highly respected national presenter/clinician. The balance of Gokelman's classical training and Kauffman's contemporary writing have produced an eminently beautiful work.
"Mass of Saint Augustine" by Higginbotham was composed for organ, choir and assembly.
"Mass of Christ the King" by Terwilliger/Holtz is an organ, choir and assembly work.
"Mass of the Incarnate Word" by Whitfield, and "Mass of the Good Shepherd" (Hughes) are also written to be choir/assembly/organ works.
(4) another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.
On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 3:34 PM, Msgr. Richard Hilgartner wrote:
I point out that the designation in hymnals “published with the approval of the Conference of Bishops” applies only to liturgical texts per se, and not to hymnody or other paraphrased texts. Those are subject to the approval of local ecclesiastical authority, e.g., an imprimatur or nihil obstat, which assess the content of texts which are not drawn directly from liturgical books. [taken from the SSG forum]
In most cases, as in the case of music, the bishop of the diocese where a piece is published grants the imprimatur or permission to publish. That designation is not limited to use within that particular diocese. [taken from CMAA forum]
To participate in the discussions on Catholic church music, sign in or register as a forum member, The forum is a project of the Church Music Association of America.