CMAA Cornerstone for "brick by brick"
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    150th Anniversary Order of Worship

    Hopefully the link above will take you to the order booklet for the Sept. 8th Mass celebrating the founding of our Mother parish, St. Mary's.
    A few notes-
    We have been without a bishop since early December; Roger Cdl. Mahony was to celebrate, but that changed effective the installation of Abp. Chaput on the same date in Philly.
    We had hoped to have a new bishop named (but likely not installed) by this time, but the death of our beloved Papal Nuncio prohibited any official curial notice.
    So, we're going homegrown, with our Vicar General presiding.
    Also, in keeping with my long-expressed philosophy of avoiding the MegaMass syndrome, only musicians currently serving the parishes will be part of the Choir and Ensemble for the festive Mass. No ringers.

    The "thrust" of the music-

    As our Vicar and pastor follow the concelebrants' procession, we will chant the antiphon for the day as shown. The verse is rendered in English, Spanish, Portuguese and a Latin Gloria Patri, in faux bourdon "style."

    The "Lord, have mercy" and "Glory to God" use the ICEL chant setting (XI, arr. Ruff?) with the "Glory" set to an original accompaniment, and a soprano ison (extended note descant) in Latin.

    The Responsorial Antiphon is metered, set in English and Spanish; the verses are however set to a chant in a "quasi" gradual manner, using some short melismatic phrases in Latin, then Tagalog.

    The Alleluia melody and harmonic structure were composed by a former student of mine at high school, who's since graduated from Thornton Conservatory, USC, academic advisor Dr. Morton Lauridsen. My "apprentice" is a touring musician, so I took the liberty of setting the accompaniment and choral arrangement, and then, like the psalm, the verses are chanted in alternatim between male and female voices in English chant, original.

    The intonation and response for the General Intercessions was inspired by _____?

    Before the singing of Bob Hurd's "Ubi caritas" at the Offertory, we'll chant the hymnchant setting.

    We'll use the venerable (in my estimation) Proulx Missa Oecumenica (orthodox homophony, similar to Richard Rice's settings in the Choral Gradual) for the Holy, Mem.Acc. and Amen. The ICEL "Lamb of God" will bridge from the Amen into Communion.

    Per the pastor, we will not sing the Communio for the day.

    There will be silence only after the Vicar is seated before the Communion prayer.

    And dismissal will be the Ronald Arnatt concertato on "Holy God, we praise Thy Name."

    The use of chanted texts blended with metrical settings may seem alien to some ears, but it is a form I felt worth exploring. It has been absolutely thrilling to hear them "work" in rehearsal. God willing, the faithful will pick up upon these blended forms and continue to appreciate chanted prayer in our parishes.

    My undying gratitude to Dr. Mahrt, Jeffrey and Arlene, and all my friends and colleagues at CMAA for helping this old lion to keep marching through the tall grasses of the chant savannah.
  • amindthatsuits
    Posts: 860
    I think this is great. In fact, I heard one prominent leader say at a Colloquium that he told his Bishop it would take three years to prepare a new congregation for his Schola, if the Bishop asked him to move it. The new tools are invaluable, but this is going to take time--and this is a model of a way to go.
  • rollingrj
    Posts: 352
    The use of chanted texts blended with metrical settings may seem alien to some ears, but it is a form I felt worth exploring.


    It seems to me that would be similar to alternating chant with fauxbourdon or a polyphonic work. Maybe a modern twist here.
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