Clearly this process is completely and utterly corrupt: it makes excellent music impossible.
Like many places in the Catholic Church, the activities of these ecclesial bureaucrats harm rather than build up the Body of Christ.

I am amused by imagining the "melody and chords" for Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms. Or for that matter, the "melody and chords" of Kyrie XI Orbis Factor. Utterly inane.

OH MAN! That's right. Orbis Factor didn't come with chords. Guess we're gonna have to make some up. Oh, and it needs a tempo marking. "Chantissimo" - sounds good.
BMP

The word Guitar is not mentioned, which should help reduce Charles in CenCa's blood pressure today.

This document is very, very good.

The only parts that fall short are highlighted. I've set the new mass chants with accompaniments and, accepting the fact that there are organists out there, some on this list, who have minimal keyboard skills. So I decided to make simple chordal accompaniments for the left hand, no moving parts. And for organists who only read melody and chord names, the chord names. I began taking piano when I was 9. 3 months later my father bought a church organ for the house and it came with a Pointer Chord System beginning organ teaching book.

I went to the best organ teacher in town, Harvard grad. When I told him I had studied piano for 3 months, he told me to come back in four years. I did. But in the interim I taiguth myself the chord system and played the organ at home.

It's basic, playing LH chords, but it works and gets a person started.

Of course, guitarists can also play the chords, but the piano and guitar, being percussive instruments do not easily glide from note to note like the organ or strings, so they put too much emphasis on the change of harmony unless played very carefully.

There is SO much good about what it written below. I think that we all are ignoring the caveat that this is music for Liturgical Use. The bishops could have been clearer by saying liturgical CONGREGATIONAL use.

The document follows, the "bad stuff" is highlighted. Isn't the "good stuff" great? Chant passes the test with flying colors.

June 2007

The Bishop of each diocese is responsible for approving music for liturgical use. To assist the Bishop and provide a means for musicians to propose their compositions for liturgical use, the following protocol was approved by the ECL.

Composers are requested to send music directly to the Diocesan Bishop (or Diocesan Liturgy Office or Commission) or to the National Liturgy Office.
Compositions must be submitted in the form of a lead sheet (melody and chords) with the text and tempo markings.June 2007

The Bishop of each diocese is responsible for approving music for liturgical use. To assist the Bishop and provide a means for musicians to propose their compositions for liturgical use, the following protocol was approved by the ECL.

Composers are requested to send music directly to the Diocesan Bishop (or Diocesan Liturgy Office or Commission) or to the National Liturgy Office.
Compositions must be submitted in the form of a lead sheet (melody and chords) with the text and tempo markings. It would also be helpful, if possible, to include a recorded version of the music.
The Diocesan Bishop or the National Liturgy Office may forward the submission to the NCLM for its review and comments.
The written response of the NCLM is communicated directly to the Diocesan Bishop or the National Liturgy Office, which in turn communicates this information to the composer.
Responses to individual bishops are copied to the National Liturgy Office and kept on file.
At the conclusion of this process, it is up to the local Bishop to approve texts and music for use in his Diocese.

Published along with Criteria for Assessing Music and Texts for Liturgical Use

in Liturgy Newsletter Vol. 1, Number 2 (Winter 2008)

Criteria for Assessing Music and Texts for Liturgical Use

To assist parish musicians in the selection of appropriate music and texts for the liturgy, the NCLM has established the following criteria. These criteria will also be helpful to composers. It would also be helpful, if possible, to include a recorded version of the music.
The Diocesan Bishop or the National Liturgy Office may forward the submission to the NCLM for its review and comments.
The written response of the NCLM is communicated directly to the Diocesan Bishop or the National Liturgy Office, which in turn communicates this information to the composer.
Responses to individual bishops are copied to the National Liturgy Office and kept on file.
At the conclusion of this process, it is up to the local Bishop to approve texts and music for use in his Diocese.

Published along with Criteria for Assessing Music and Texts for Liturgical Use

in Liturgy Newsletter Vol. 1, Number 2 (Winter 2008)

Criteria for Assessing Music and Texts for Liturgical Use

To assist parish musicians in the selection of appropriate music and texts for the liturgy, the NCLM has established the following criteria. These criteria will also be helpful to composers.

Regarding Music:

Does the music suit the text? Is the music seasonally appropriate?
Does the author respect the prosody of the text (the rhythmic structure of speech)?
Does the music support the text or does it distract from it?
Is the melody singable by an assembly? Does the phrasing facilitate such participation?
Is the range singable by an average assembly?
Is the melody memorable?
Does the melody provide interest and balance (steps and leaps)?
Is there consistency in the verse structure suited to congregational singing?
Can the music be performed in a variety of styles?

Regarding Texts:

Does the text express authentic Catholic faith? Is the text theologically sound?
Does the text possess clarity of language?
Is the text biblically inspired?
Does the text incorporate metaphors and evocative images?
Is there a movement of thought from one verse to the next?
Is the text in some way directed to God?
Does the text include elements of petition, praise or memorial of God’s saving deeds?
Is there consistency of address within the composition?
Is the text grammatically correct?
Does the text employ contemporary English?
Is the text consistent with the language of liturgical prayer?
Does the text use corporate language in expressing the prayer of the assembly?
If the text is a ritual text, is it in accord with the approved liturgical text?

Regarding Acclamations:

Is there a tonal and melodic relationship between the acclamations which are intended to be sung together during a single liturgical celebration?
Does the melody engage the assembly in a way that is truly acclamatory?
Does the music employ minimal syncopation?
Is the text consistent with the approved liturgical text?

Now that Noel and I have monitored my BP (it's fine)- I'd like to remind folks of THE TEN CHORDMANDMENTS of notations:
1. Chord symbols, or more correctly (as Incantu says correctly, vary) chordal nomenclature ought not to be perfunctorily dubbed "guitar chords."
2. Chordal nomenclature is no recent stranger to sacred music, see "figured bass, continuo."
3. Subsequently, neither is "improvisation" by a strung/plucked/keyboard hammered instrument a recent invention.
4. Kathy's quite clever citing an imaginary "lead sheet version" of the Byrd "Ave verum.." as she knows that classical polyphony cannot be assigned metric chordal symbols as the melodies in the voice parts are liquid and moving.
5. However, other forms of polyphony that are Warhorses in the repertoire, have and can easily bear such assignments, ie. Tallis "If ye love me," Victory (Palestrina?), Mozart "Ave verum," Arcadelt "Ave Maria" and a ton of other titles where polyphony is more closely aligned to tonal homophony.
6. None of the above are meant to suggest that performance practice via chord nomenclature is an ideal.
7. But, what injury to whom occurs by the Canadian bishops hopefully insisting that absolutely accurate chordal assignments be added to accompaniment editions of hymnals? (Any six chord strummer, or oompah pianist who can barely distinguish a minor from a major third and gets lost at diminished/augmented won't benefit by such symbols.)
8. Accompaniment "genius" often depends simultaneously upon the brilliance of the fully composed accompaniment score and the inventiveness and intuition of the accompanist. Again, having both options on the same page, does no injury other than to "sensibilities."
9. When singing Stravinsky ( I actually inherited a choir that sang that beautiful "Alleluia" from SofPsalms as a GA), Poulenc, Quick or Kevin Allen at liturgy, as well as a different ton of pieces, you don't assign "chords" to those scores. Period. Do not the Canadian bishops make that distinction?
10. Does anyone know of a really cool Cajun Mass setting, since we're onto Canadian stuff? I listened to that Bluegrass Mass and that sucked eggs bigtime.

If given a choice, would you rather have a guitarist who can negotiate and realize accurate chordal notation accompany "On Eagles' Wings" or "Be still my soul (Finlandia)" at a funeral?

Kathy

Let us know when you finish Byrd's Haec Dies notations.

I totally disagree with any "keyboardist" settling for LH chords accompanying the melody. I started out in 4th grade on the accordion - RH melody, LH um-pa-pa. When I first went to organ it was "pop" organ taught at the same studio where i learned the accordion. Then I started playing in church. When my Mom first heard me putting chords under the melody, she demanded that I either learn to play the right way, or stop playing in church. Period. Do it right, or not at all.

Steve, point appreciatively taken. But, we don't live in ideal times. Truth be told, humanity has no authentic memory of such an Eden, we have the benefit of the scriptural conceptual account of perfection. To reach for idealism or perfection is laudible and noble. To demand it from others is judgmental and dictatorial. HE is the vine, we are the branches. That's also why I'm the DM/Choir Director and my organist is the organist....different gifts.
Now, all that said, I went to the Canadian site and can see what the kerfuffle ingredients actually started this madness.
Should have guessed it, very old story:
Disinterested, editorially challenged prelates back in ought-seven reacting to some external stimulus mandate about new music for worship.
Same prelates hand off project checklist to advisors, same sort of people who manage to run projects like "LAREC Theme Song Contest" or "American Idol." In the box-thinking populists. We're not finding any Mike Joncas's, much less Leo Nestor's, on this panel of "experts."
This council (Blind Folk describing elephants) fabricates an Irish patch driving cap series of "COMPOSITION PROTOCOLS."
Same folks somehow forget that at least one of their number passed Frosh/Sophomore theory class by successfully mimic-ing the composition of a Bach chorale, and that most sacred music benefits by a fully realized keyboard accompaniment.
Same folks make self contradicting and cancelling protocols within document just to convince themselves they can present it with big smiles to the prelates, confident they won't notice redundancies (they won't) and that they've done "A fine job!"
Prelates publish it.
No one gives a rip.
Some Canadian Jeff Ostrowski writes the most sublime Mass Ordinary and sends to a "commission" for approval.
Secretary opens envelope, sees the grand scale under the vocal line as s/he peeks within; marks envelope "Return to Sender."
Someone should write an opera. Using "lead sheets."

Dunno, Doug. I don't think "Oppenheimer" used lead sheets, though. Too heavy.

By the early 17th century, there is ample evidence that polyphony was performed with organ and even theorbo (more and more). The late Renaissance move towards more chordal "progressions" certainly pushed this along. Do I want Gombert sung with parish strummers? No, but tradition cannot really be used as the best reason for resisting this. The big difference is, however, that all that was contemporary music, which was beginning a process of great change. In reclaiming the style of polyphonic music, the current aesthetic should reign. A capella preferred, organ accompaniment when desired or needed. In fact, modern polyphony might make good use of synthesizer to underscore the ethereal aesthetic desired. Seriously.

Michael, I'd be rather interested to hear any recordings you have to offer of such a practice. Frankly, the idea scares me, but I also know some contexts in which it may be beneficial.

Yes, I'm hoping that the synth part could be "composed" in such a way that no matter the technology change, it would still work. Anyway, New Age music pulls at the same internal desires that chant does for the general public. It can, when done well, give a timeless sound that suggests the eternal. Also, remember that I said "modern" polyphony. A capella is nice, but it need not be the only artistic expression of the sacred.

I had a black market book with at least a thousand pieces of light classics as lead sheets; Beethoven, Liszt, Bach, Brahms, Mcdowell, Sousa, Verdi, Gounod- Sort of a pocket encyclopedia but also handy if you played for silent movies.
I have not used synths or digital samples with our chant or polyphony but I have used sampled harps and and pizzicato strings even within
midi files for some Gelineau psalms.
In this case it worked far better than the organ.
The presentation is excellent - on the level of the Roland Harpsichord.

Well, now. . . there is such a thing as organ tablature.

Can you imagine trying to play from this?

Never mind there being a bishop alive who could even recognize this as music!

Musicology geeks of the world, unite! Vive la resistance!

Organ capo!!! LOL! Thank goodness my cereal bowl is big enough in which to sputter.

Steve's right but unfortunately, there is no "school of hymn playing" that concentrates on hymns. I've been sketching out a simple hymn playing course that starts with playing them in two parts, then three parts in preparation to playing four parts.

These three part arrangements are also singable.

Playing hymns in four parts is hard, there is no doubt about it. But with practice you can master it.

The trick to changing divisions and pressing pistons it to use a metronome, slow things down dramatically, and do it over and over.

If you want to press a piston or change manuals between verses of a hymn:

Last measure count: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 PRESS.

Do this religiously at 4.5 over and over again. Unless the hymn is in 4!

OTOH, "easy" accompaniments are often so simplified as to be distracting to the listener. And many of our recent "Catholic" publishers are having their in-house composers modify traditional accompaniments - some times harder, sometimes not - but a distraction, at least to me. If one is serious about playing in church, one will need to learn how to play hymns, even if only on the manuals. Consider starting a hymnal collection. Look for traditional hymns in traditional hymnals, and don't be afraid to but some non-Catholic hymnals. I think I have almost 60 hymnals in my collection - and that doesn't count what's available on the inter-net.