Pew Card : ICEL Chant : letter size (folded) : by Koerber
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    Yet another version of a Pew Card.

    This is the first draft. Let me know if you see errors or anything missing.

    Download Pew Card
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Nice layout. Do you think people who are phobic about chant notation- any notation- will be able to break through that and gain some flexibility with the 2&3 lines? I hope so, and think it's clever and space saving.
    As far as the success of the chant itself, and superimposing Eng. onto Gregorian (mostly Latin) melodies, I'm not convinced at all.
    But, if this leads us back to Latin, I will be so glad. :)
    With respect to whoever composed/adapted these melodies, the 'Ho-ly-y' is especially hard on the ear.
    But your formatting is nice, Francis. I wish I had your skills in that area.
  • MarkThompson
    Posts: 768
    With respect to whoever composed/adapted these melodies, the 'Ho-ly-y' is especially hard on the ear.


    I have heard this criticism before, but I confess I do not understand it. Is the contention, then, that there is anything great about singing "Sanc - too - oos"? After all, it is hard enough for a choir to chant the actual word "tuus" in any sensible way (never mind the dreaded "vultus tuus"), so what is so wonderful about deliberately turning our Holy into "Sanctuus"? To me, for one, that is hard on the ear.
  • ClemensRomanusClemensRomanus
    Posts: 1,023
    I have to agree with Mark.
  • Ralph BednarzRalph Bednarz
    Posts: 493
    1. A liquescent pes on"Ho" or even on "Sanc-" just makes makes sense. But somehow we have been able to create enough energy to gently lift on the "Ho" as if the accent just preceded it- and then the 2 notes on "ly" become rhetorically necessary to dissipate the energy from the accent on "HO."

    2. Question about pew card Format. What fonts and point sizes are most favorable? When shoud BF or Italics be used? - titles, responses, headings? And what should be avoided. And margins, too large or too small can be unsettleing. Where can we find a good model.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    MaryAnn

    I don't find resistance to square note notation. It's when the text is in Latin that the visceral reaction occurs (from my own limited experience). When I got here a few years ago none of the choir read GN. They all picked it up very fast and prefer it when singing chant. Of course if you notice, I included slurs and ties here which stretches this setting into another hybrid of sorts. I did'nt even use a single podatus. I will let you know how it works here and would appreciate any feedback from others that try it. This is a very inexpensive way to make pew cards that fit inside a hymnal.

    If I remember correctly I think it was Aristotle who suggested the smaller line scheme. He pointed it out in the 1982 hymnal. If the Episcopalians can do it, hey!
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,198
    To me, the non-serif font(s) for the text and underlay clash, rather glaringly, with the serifs for the headings. And computer-age predilections for non-serif fonts such as Arial for getting more information on the screen simply do not carry over to printed material. When setting something such as this, one should stay within a given font family, if at all possible. From my experience, I would suggest Palatino as being among the best serif families for readability of normal, italic, bold and bold italic texts and underlay (this is what I use almost exclusively in my score engraving).

    Also, I find the switching back and forth between 3-line and 2-line staves somewhat jarring visually, and I wonder if it might be more confusing than if 3-line staves were used throughout (given the inadequacy of 2-lines for some of the music).
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    CHGiffen:

    Might be able to put the three lines in all the time. Good idea.

    It is not uncommon in the design/typesetting realm to use serif as a display face and san-serif as body type (or visa versa), especially in more recent times (since the computer age)... Us typographers also changed a few other conventions in our day, like the use of a double space after a period, but now we are into designer talk and that area gets grey fast.

    I was not only forced to save space using a condensed sans-serif, but also readability for older folk (like me). Serif fonts have uneven widths in the ascenders and other aspects of the font design which actually make it more difficult to read when the font gets smaller or doesn't print well (photocopying, sometimes you get what is called a 'drop out' with serif fonts). So, yes, I have sacrificed esthetics for function on this one. So sorry. Are you considering using this card? If so, another way to do this is on an 8.5 x 14 folded the same way which MIGHT let me use Palatino. Do let me know. It's a single keystroke to change the font, but murder on moving the chant glyphs!

    NOTE: This is not Arial, it is a professional Postcript Type 1 publishing font from Linotype called Universe.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    typo fixed (Orate, Fratres)
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    MaryAnn

    I don't think putting English to Latin chant will 'lead' anyone back to Latin. If anything, it's an excuse NOT to sing the Latin and justifiably say, "O, YES! We sing chant at our church all the time!"

    Horse Manure!!!

    If you don't sing GC, you are just singing an imitation or a wannabe. It's totally disconnected from the whole Latin sense, sensability and heritage that we were born in. Vernacular plainchant, while it can be nice at times, is just a ruse. You might as well drink near beer, or eat tofu turkey.

    Done pontificating.

    Pass me a Liber.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,985
    You know, there are EF people, and then there are OF people. Granted, it is wonderful that some in the OF do appreciate chant, but many people do not, and never will. So in the sense that you say, "I don't think putting English to Latin chant will 'lead' anyone back to Latin," I have to agree. Many in the OF have no desire to go back to Latin or chant, and are in fact, glad to be away from both. This is the real world in parish churches across the country. However, back to the main point. It is a nice pew card.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    CharlesW

    I wish I was wrong, but that is the way I see this spinning out. The Church is going to have to mandate GC at some point in time. She kinda did that in some of the docs (minimal repertoire), but that holds no water as the bucket goes for 99% of those who direct music at liturgy.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    Here is an alternate version of the pew card with a consistent three line staff as per the suggestion of CHGiffen.

    Download Pew Card (three line staff)
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