Justine Ward's own "Rossini propers"
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    Jennifer Miller sent in another rare Ward book, this one from 1932 called SUNDAY MASS. It is propers for the liturgical year set to Psalm tones, a book designed for children who can't yet sing the full Graduale. She is thinking of elementary schools kids here. The idea is to focus them on singing the Latin words and not getting tangled up in the full propers just yet.

    It is a very beautiful book, in color too! I can't really see a case for putting it in print (can you?) but it will make a fascinating online book. perhaps it is worth scanning in color.

    By the way, she thanks Dom Gajard for his assistance in putting the book together and checking over the melodies etc.
  • Darcy
    Posts: 73
    Oh please, at least scan it, I would love to see it and I have a feeling this resource will help with our parish children's schola.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    So is there is a case for a black and white scan rather than preserving the color, just in the interest of reducing the file size?
  • Darcy
    Posts: 73
    Without seeing it, I'd say probably so... when I've downloaded the resources on musicasacra, I was usually looking to print out some music, which I imagine will be the case with this too eventually. Black and white will work for that.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    B&W is good.
  • John Nisbet
    Posts: 12
    I second (or in this case, "3rd") a B+W scan. This will be most helpful!
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,021
    B&W for the music, for sure - those files are big enough. If there are some nice things in color, scan just those items/pages.

    I am a proponent for the option of Psalm tones for the propers. One of my smaller projects, since I already have all of the Rossini accompaniments in Finale for use in MSWord, is to use the NOH Psalm tone accompaniments, culled from all the Introits and Office volumes, in the same format at the Rossini. This will include a few options, endings, thru-composed Doxologies, etc.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    Ok, here it is. Enjoy! But you will have to print it out since the propers extend over two pages.
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 993
    Thanks, Jeffrey. I love the illustrations from this period. They're a charming combination of innocence and dignity.
  • padre
    Posts: 2
    Hi. I'm sure if this is the right place to ask this. I'm a parish priest in Collingwood, Ontario, and I attended the last sacred music conference. Learning chant was quite new for me but I loved it and would like to learn more - how to sing it and read the music. I can read music but I can't sight read and sing. I need to hear the notes. Another priest in my diocese and I are going to start a chant group for priests. He is quite versed in chant and able to show the rest of us how. Is there a particular book that anyone might recommend to me for my personal progress in learning how to sing chant. I was wondering about the series published for children in the '30's by a woman whose name I forget. She has a book (book4?) on chant. I would like to practice on my own and learn to sight read. Any suggestions? Fr. Jim aka padre
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    Yes, this would be Justin Ward. but if you want need is a basic tutorial, see the Parish Book of Chant. or google Idiot's Guide to Square Notes.
  • Jan
    Posts: 242
    Book: A Gregorian Chant Master Class by Dr. Theodore Marier & Scott Turkington. It comes with a CD. (Scott is with CMAA & faculty at the Colloquium).

    I've used this with my beginning schola. It's very good for the basics.
  • padre
    Posts: 2
    Thanks. I'll have a look. Padre
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 781
    I love this forum so much! for any random question that I google, this forum always comes up with exactly what I need! yay!
  • mahrt
    Posts: 517
    These are actually not psalm tones, but lectionary tones (Solemn tone ad libitum in the Liber Usualis, p. 120) "This tone may be used at Matins on very solemn Feasts."
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    I have used these with my choristers, and I think the idea has both merit and practical use. On the practical use side, I can see using them in a pinch, especially since they've been so graciously made available online.

    On the merit side, I do think getting the Latin flowing is important. But I've found that kids can swim with psalm tones so easily, I'd rather use them because I find them to be of better benefit all around.

    For a growing children's schola that is working on mastering the authentic chants, which is where I'm at right now, I'd most like to see plain psalm tones with great graphics. The artwork in the Ward book is a great reminder for students. Looking at this from a teaching and mothering perspective, I'd say that the liturgical pictures are the top contribution of this book.
  • MarkThompson
    Posts: 768
    Make sure you take a bit of care with this book though (and I realize this is an old post). In just a quick glance I found one major Latin error, in the psalm verse to the introit for Christ the King. Ward has "Déus iudícium túum Régida." Regida at first glance does look like it might be a Latin word, but it is not, and it should be "Régi dá." Da is the verb governing the whole sentence. The error also affects the music, since the descent from the reciting tone should start on "Re-", and not two syllables back on "tu-".
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