Same Psalm, different words. Yikes!

PurpleSquirrel

Since learning all about the changes in the new and improved English Missal, I have been going through our music books with a fine tooth comb. I noticed our hymnal, which is our only source for the Psalms, has different words than in the Sunday Missal.
Example: Psalm 22, for the 5th Sunday of Easter -

CBW -
"Lord, you are the song of my praise in the great assembly.
1. My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.
May their hearts live for ever and ever."
etc...

Sunday Missal -
"Lord, from you comes my praise in the great congregation.
1. My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live forever."
etc...

Um, should I be concerned?

CGM

No, you don't need to be concerned. There are two approved translations of the Responsorial Psalm for use at Mass in the U.S.

- Your hymnal uses the Grail version, which was done in the 1960's by a convent in England. They translated it in a more consistently rhythmic way -- lines neither too short nor too long, accents in patterns of mostly twos or threes -- to make it easier to sing with simple melodic formulas.

- The Missal uses the text from the NAB (the translation by the USCCB), the only approved translation for the rest of the Scriptures (in the U.S. -- in the rest of the English-speaking world they use the New Jerusalem Bible, I believe).

Either one is OK.

chonak

What sort of Sunday Missal are you looking at? Altar missals don't contain the readings or psalms; they're in a separate lectionary book.
(CGM, I think PurpleSquirrel is in Canada and may be subject to different requirements than most of us.)

PurpleSquirrel

Wow. You know your stuff.... I am impressed. :-)

Now then, I'm in Canada. I reached the head of the Liturgy Commitee in our Archdiocese. He said he was not sure, and that he would get back to me. Never did. (Don't blame him, though. Busy times for these guys...) I could not find the answer at the CCCB site either.

So, let me get the terminology right. The Grail version refers to one of the two approved translations of the Responsorial Psalms. So even though it doesn't match word-for-word to the NAB (New American Bible?) it is still OK, correct?

francis

we r also headed toward the grail here in the usa (its a better (artistically speaking) version) as i so far can ascertain, but not sure about the theological translation.

Ragueneau

This may be of interest:

http://www.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/6596/when-will-there-be-a-new-catholic-lectionary-how-long-are-nab-psalms-allowed-to-be-used-at-mass/p1

Paul F. Ford

The official sung psalter in Canada is Psalms for the Liturgical Year (Toronto: Novalis, 2009), which uses the NRSV approved by Rome for use in Canada.

Paul_D

Clarification -- the psalm collection by Novalis is not the official Canadian psalter. It is a product of a commercial publisher (Novalis), not the CCCB. It uses the officially-approved NRSV texts, but the musical settings were commissioned by and are copyright by Novalis. The CCCB is working on a collection of psalms for the NRSV lectionary, but it is still a work in progress. Until such time, the only official CCCB musical psalter would be that contained in CBW III (i.e. the outgoing-Grail translation). Any budding composers who are writing settings of NRSV psalms from the Canadian lectionary would do well to send the best of their efforts to the CCCB for consideration.

CGM

Ah yes - Canada. I don't know what happens there - sorry...!

And Chonak, you're right - the readings aren't in the Missal; they're in the Lectionary. In the U.S., the translation is the NAB. I didn't know that anyone used the NRSV for liturgy - perhaps in Canada it's just in use for the Psalms?

PurpleSquirrel

Ah, yes. I see your confusion. The Lectionary is used at the Altar. The Missal I refer to is the one our congregation uses, also published by Novalis. It has the readings, Psalms, Antiphons, Rites, etc. for each Sunday. (Not the Daily Missal, which is different.) I use this as a reference. It includes music for the Psalms, but only for the refrains. I never knew how to obtain an instrumental version of this. That would be, I assume, the Psalms for the Liturgical Year (Toronto, Novalis). This is what my Mom went to in her parish, but I'm just wondering how necessary this really is. People get attatched to the Psalms they know and love...... especially small-town choir members who've done the same Psalms year after year.
Please define NRSV. (New Revised Something Version?)
:-)

PurpleSquirrel

You guys seriously rock...

CGM

NRSV = New Revised Standard Version.

The RSV (Revised Standard Version) is considered by many to be the definitive translation of the bible into contemporary English - I think it was done in the 1940's. (Some say that the NRSV doesn't measure up to its beloved predecessor.) Just Google "RSV online" and the whole text comes up.

Richard Neuhaus, the great Canadian-turned-American, Lutheran-turned-Catholic, priest, scholar, and author, seemed to alternate between the RSV and the ESV as his preferred translation. The ESV (English Standard Version) is the 2001 update of the RSV (not to be confused with the NRSV, which it is NOT).

Neuhaus on NAB vs. RSV (2001 & 2006):
http://www.bible-researcher.com/neuhaus1.html

chonak

And just to add another shifting element, PurpleSquirrel, there are two Grail translations of the Psalms: the 1964 Grail (UK) translation (in the CBW III?) and also the more recent Revised Grail Psalter, which is approved in the US but not used much yet.

benedictgal

When I serve as cantor at my dad's parish, I use the Grail Psalter, as the translation is much better and easier to chant. When I substitute at my parish, I am required to use the OCP Respond and Acclaim book. I wish that I could adapt the verses to the Grail psalter, but, I don't have the ability to do so.

Musicteacher56

As long as the translations are accurate, I see no problem in using either form. However, I do have a problem with contemporary musicians who set music to psalms that were paraphrased to fit meter.

benedictgal

Musicteacher56, agreed. My problem with many of OCP's Spanish-language settings is that the musicality is not sacred. The composers set the psalms to music that sounds like Spanish pop music, not at all sacred.

Musicteacher56

I am very familiar with the Spanish psalms and,yes, they do sound like pop music. Could you write your own?

benedictgal

Musicteacher56, I can barely read music at this point. :(

What I did do for last week's psalm was sing it as solemnly as I could and then use one of the SEP tones for the verses. The celebrant was pleased with that outcome.

Musicteacher56

What if you just used the same melodies, but changed the rhythms for the psalm and then use the SEP tones for verses?

benedictgal

That's actually what I did. It was a little hard, considering that the the psalm sounded like some sort of salsa number you would hear on Dancing with the Stars. YIKES!!!

PurpleSquirrel

Oooo, ouch.

Thanks everyone! I learn something new every time I come on this forum.
Gotta look up the Revised Grail Psalter...

benedictgal

PurpleSquirrel, I invested in my own copy of the Revised Grail Psalter. In my opinion, it is superior to the NAB and RNAB in every way.

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