SEP: 5-line notation, accompaniments?
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Hi all,

    There’s an NPM Facebook discussion going on about general lack of simple editions of chant in 5-line notation. The same thread asserts that there are too few editions with written-out accompaniment.

    I pointed him to the ISM in St. Louis; are there any other such resources?
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,186
    This may be of interest: English SATB Adaptations of Graduale Simplex Processional Propers

    All of Lent is complete, and most of the Easter Triduum and Easter Season. I'll probably stop (for now) upon completing Corpus Christi.

    Are they looking for congregational editions as well as choir/accompaniment?
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen PMulholland
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,974
    Thanks, these are great! I am not allowed to give the congregation anything in square notes. These I can really use.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,189
    Ari, this is a tremendous asset - I've been downloading them, always eager for the next installment! Thank you so much for these wonderful adaptations!
    Thanked by 1Aristotle Esguerra
  • PMulholland
    Posts: 120
    Always found it funny the huge fear over square notes. Most people in the pew cannot read music square or modern. They do get up or down and that is about it.
    Nevertheless, I have found Aristotle's work excellent.
    Waiting for the day the stigmas are removed....

    Peter
    Thanked by 1Aristotle Esguerra
  • PMulholland
    Posts: 120
    http://www.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/6062/sep-organchoral-accompaniments/p2
    This thread has been providing organ accomps and 5 line versions of the SEP since around Christmas, check it out.
    Peter
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    They are outstanding, Aristotle, and they provide more variety to an accomplished choir who can do SEP square notes, Richard's Choral Propers pretty much at sight. The SEP has been the breakthrough in terms of geting the choristers to intuit "natural" declamation without stems. If one thinks about that, that means when they go to homophonic round notes, they're still good without stems, and should we go deeper into Latin chant notation, they won't be that deterred by new forms of neumatic notation.
    Thanked by 1Aristotle Esguerra
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,974
    Always found it funny the huge fear over square notes.

    I don't know anyone who is afraid of square notes. I don't use them with the congregation because they are archaic and unfamiliar. Yes, I have heard the poetic waxing on the forum about their beauty, sacred line widths, holy inks, and etc. That's fine, if you find joy in them. I don't. Since the pastor doesn't want them used in congregational handouts, I don't use them.

    This body of work Aristotle has produced, is a valuable resource for those of us dealing with the here and now. Granted, those who live in a pre-vernacular world may not find it useful. May the wicks in their kerosene lanterns disintegrate, and their organ pumpers all come down with the plague. ;-) Again, this is a great resource that works well for me, so thank you Aristotle. I will be using some of these settings on Ash Wednesday.
    Thanked by 1Aristotle Esguerra
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    Well, we'll find out about congregtion ability on Feb. 28, CW, when our new bishop makes first visit to parish/deanery for Rite of Election. After the Latin intonation of "Invocabit te" we'll transition to SEP "When He calls to me" with the original neume version in the ordo. Won't be an Entrance hymn. I've done this at another of our parishes (the new one that has overhead screens) and they sang SEP proper there pretty well.
    The upshot point besides the sung one will articulate (subversively?) a clear "catholic" ethos to anyone with eyes to see. Then, we'll use Alstott's psalm with stemless notation and one of my Lenten G.A.'s. Bob Hurd's "Led by the Spirit" (Kingsfold) and then Monteverdi and Lotti motets. Plenty good room.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,974
    Best of luck to you, and I hope all that goes well. I think the antiphons Aristotle has produced could easily be sung by my congregation.
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    Thanks for the "plug" PMulholland.

    Indeed, an ongoing project to provide accompaniments to this collection exists, here:
    http://www.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/6062/sep-organchoral-accompaniments/p2

    An unintended byproduct of this has been some folks reading these chants in 5-line notation. This is nice, as it provides an opportunity to use this collection for those who cannot read square notes, and so please understand first that I find this to be positive. However, I urge you to put some time toward the square note notation, as the SEP is indeed "simple" and a great "primer" course for reading this style of notation. I am personally "self-taught" (to great detriment, wahwah) in square notes, and any ability I have to sight-read this notation is directly a result of using the SEP.

    Your resident SEP accompanist,
    Ryan
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