New Mass Parts - Suggestions for School Mass?
  • EGrimm
    Posts: 13
    I apologize for the repetition if this has already been posted. I was unable to find an answer with the search engine ;-)

    Now that we've all adjusted (mostly) to the new translation and new music of the Mass -- I wanted to know if anyone has had great success with a particular musical setting for Mass.

    I am looking for something for our weekly school Mass. We have been doing the new ICEL chants - and been happy with them for the most part. (http://www.icelweb.org/musicfolder/openpdf.php?file=Sanctus.pdf).

    I would love some suggestions that have a simple accompaniment, or can easily be done acapella. We don't have much in that area ;-)

    Thank you!!
  • henry
    Posts: 241
    We've been using Mass of Grace by Lisa Stafford (WLP). Can't say that it's been very successful in terms of catching-on with the school congregation, but it's in the style that you describe.
  • benedictgal
    Posts: 798
    I would say stay with the ICEL chants. They work very well and are certainly easy enough for daily Mass. My parochial vicar uses them for daily Mass at our parish and at the hospital chapel.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    I teach K-8 parochial school general music (including 8th grade Bell Choir).
    The ICEL Glory is great when they show up in a weekday Mass.
    One has to realize you're dealing with, AT LEAST, three differing developmental sub-groupings. That is not to say that there has to be accomodations to the age-appropriate subgroup, however it would be reasonable to look for Ordinaries for school daily/weekly Masses that persuade our children, our future that engagement in liturgy has an immediate "pay off" as well as setting the stage for the FUTURE.
    I have oft-trumpeted the value of the ICEL Glory (XV, I've been told) and the proof has been in the pudding for a year and a half. But the other movements have to be examined from a local jurisdiction. That means YOU, local music teacher. If you have the folds to run with the whole Missa de Angelis, then off with ye. But the gravitas of the ICEL/JD Sanctus/Agnus Dei and the un-edited Kyrie might not be in the interest of perpetuating, or more accurately instilling the motivation and ongoing interest in "sing THE Mass."
    Regarding the original questioner's need, I have used my version (ok'd by the heirs) of the Danish Amen Mass (Pachelbel Kanon-based) and my arrangement of a Natalie Sleeth ecumenical Mass that I catholicized. Sleeth is a children's expert. But it is integral enough for adults as well. The Sleeth has been the Derby winner by many lengths for at least three years, and is a bell ringers' dream.
    I believe that there are gold mines for K-8 out there, but the teacher who isn't at the Madeleine or Boston, has to really work and research so as to satisfy not only the liturgical and pedagogical goals, but also the socialogical expectations that insidiously whisper to kids that singing "Mass" isn't cool once they're Frosh.
    And, FWIW, I'm implemeting "Wings of Song" (Brouwers/AOZ) adjusted for K to 6 starting tomorrow morning.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    EGrimm,

    May I suggest that you use Mass XI, Missa Orbis Factor, in the original Latin. It has the benefit of being simple and easily learned by young people. I taught it to a group of students, who varied in age down to about 5 years old.

    Please DON'T Make the mistake of assuming that little children either can't or don't want to learn Latin or chant. It is their parents (or sometimes, grandparents) who have decided to hate both Latin and chant.

    God bless,

    Chris
    Thanked by 1E_A_Fulhorst
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    My plan for the school Mass is ICEL chants for the first semester and Latin Jubilate Deo setting for the second semester. So the children learn the meaning and melody in the first semester before they learn them in Latin. (Once they learn the meaning in English and sang for a few months, they cannot complain that they don't know what the are singing.)
    Thanked by 1E_A_Fulhorst
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    I'd go with the ICEL as well. Very effective for daily Mass.
  • EGrimm
    Posts: 13
    Thank you for all the input!

    I will stick with the ICEL English chants for now and hope that they "sink in" more and more.

    Any advice on the best way to work with those? Acapella? With organ? With piano?

    We had a "Mass practice" today and went over most of the chants, the kids did a great job ;-)
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    Have you looked at "Missa Primativa"?

    Basically it is a composite collection of chants for the mass. They've taken all the simplest chants from different mass ordinaries and put them together.

    They are basically the latin originals of the ICEL Chant mass for the assembly.
  • Musicteacher56
    Posts: 621
    I use Missa Simplex and the children picked up on it very easily. We do, however, use the Jubilate Deo Agnus Dei in Latin. Children seem to love chant. It's the adults who have been ingrained with OCP that are having the most difficult time and making no bones about expressing their dissatisfaction because "chant is weird".
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    I was very impressed when my new singers, children 4th and 5th graders, picked Gregorian chants as their favorites, such as Salve Regina, Adoro Te...when adults often say they are too hard.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    Only took me a few months to learn the Salve Regina in Simple Tone. If you hear it often enough you'll pick it up.

    It only took a few goes to pick up "Regina Caeli" and "Ave Regina Caelorum". They should pick up the simple Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei quite quickly.
  • SamuelDorlaque
    Posts: 318
    Our school choir and student body know both Mass XVI and Mass XVIII for weekdays.
    The choir has taught the student body what I refer to as the Pueri Cantores Mass, which we use for feast days & special occasions- Kyrie & Gloria VIII, Sanctus XVIII, the revised
    Acclamation & Amen from the Proulx "Festival Eucharist" and Agnus Dei VIII. The children
    are able to sing the simple settings of the Seasonal Antiphons for the BVM, which we sing in place of a "closing hymn." I can't say enough good about the "Simple English
    Propers" of Adam Bartlett. They have replaced the "four hymn sandwich" for us. We
    do often use a hymn at the offertory for English masses. The "Vatican II Hymnal" has
    been a great resource for us at Saint Edward, Newark.
    Thanked by 1Ragueneau
  • DanielCDanielC
    Posts: 37
    I always recommend the Vatican II Hymnal, there are many Mass settings in both English and Latin, and they are very simple to learn and sing; they're also some of the most beautiful settings for the new translation that I've found.
    All the free resources for organist and voice are found at this link.
    Thanked by 1Ragueneau
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,696

    I know of one school that very successfully uses the Mass of the Patriarchs from the St. Michael hymnal. Their organist is a master improviser and does a different accompaniment at almost every Mass, so the "pattern" doesn't get boring:
    http://www.stmichaelhymnal.com/NewEdition/MassofthePatriarchsRecordings.aspx
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