Website: Catholic Devotional Hymns
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    The recent thread about "Little White Guest" showed that old-fashioned Catholic devotional hymns still have some popularity.

    Readers who enjoy these hymns may like to learn about collector Peter Meggison's project to preserve and share music from that era. He's been recruiting choirs to make new recordings of these charming old songs, and 16 tracks from a recent session in Boston are on a new website I've built at http://www.catholicdevotionalhymns.com/.
    Thanked by 4expeditus1 canadash Don9of11 Mary Ann
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    Beautiful singing, charming music as Chonak says. A very welcome project, let's all promote this and support his work!
    Thanked by 1Don9of11
  • MARYFA
    Posts: 9
    I found this list of Hymns fascinating. I am an English 'cradle Catholic' of Irish descent.
    I have been involved with Church Music all my life both in my Home Parish and elsewhere. I have NEVER come across any of these pieces. Catholic culture must be
    completely different in America. Yet on visits to the U.S.A. across 48 years I have always felt at home at Mass.
    Thanked by 1noel jones, aago
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Except for one, they were new to me also!
  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 229
    Of the 16 hymns (8 to the Sacred Heart and 8 to Our Lady), most are of American origin. However, there are several that are of British origin that were also widely used in Ireland and later in the U.S. "O Sacred Heart, What Shall I Render Thee?" and "One Thing, My God" were originally published in the Notre Dame Hymn-Tune Book (Liverpool) in 1906 and later found their way into American Hymnals (Standard Catholic Hymnal, McLaughlin & Reilly, 1921). "Mother of Christ" is definitely British in origin, having been composed by the Sisters of Notre Dame (de Namur) in the 1890s. It achieved a high degree of popularity in the U.S., also, and can be found with a different melody in the St. Gregory Hymnal. Three of the hymns, "Mother Dear, O Pray for Me," "Mother Dearest, Mother Fairest," and "On This Day, O Beautiful Mother" do not appear in any British Catholic Hymnals and are definitely American. These three, fortunately, can still be found in today's "missalettes."
    Thanked by 4CHGiffen noel jones, aago Don9of11 Mary Ann
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Scores?
    Thanked by 1E_A_Fulhorst
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Here's an update on the web site of classic Catholic devotional hymns, sponsored by user @oldhymns :

    The latest addition is a choral recording session directed by Fr. Scott Haynes at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, and these dear songs bring the site up to a dozen recorded choral sessions. In addition, we've been given permission to post recordings from two CD albums from the Schola Cantorum of the Cardinal Vaughan School, one of them directed by Charles Cole.

    And, for Adam: we're just starting to include a couple of scores.
    Thanked by 6CharlesW MBW expeditus1 noel jones, aago Don9of11 Mary Ann
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    The Cardinal Vaughn CD is excellent.
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    Haven't clicked the link yet, but there are a couple that come to mind that I particularly like:

    1. Adoro te devote

    2. O Salutaris Hostia

    3. Pange lingua gloriosi

    4. Ave maria, gratia plena

    5. Salve regina

    6. Vexilla regis prodeunt
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Those are all liturgical chants, since their texts appear in the Office or the Mass; in contrast, this site is devoted to Catholic devotional (non-liturgical) hymns in English from 1850-1950.
    Thanked by 1Don9of11
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 708
    I've been following the progress of The Devotional Hymns website for some time now and with each update there are always several hymns that I remember singing and I have come to know many others through Peter Meggison efforts. These hymns are such a part of our Catholic heritage and while the hymns are older than you and I, they are being made new again. I'm glad to see the addition of sheet music and offer my thanks to chonak for helping Peter maintain the website.
    Thanked by 2noel jones, aago oldhymns
  • expeditus1
    Posts: 483
    I would like to personally thank Peter Meggison for the immense effort that he has expended to preserve and share Catholic devotional hymns. His website, "The Catholic Devotional Hymns," http://www.catholicdevotionalhymns.com/ was built by chonak (according to the first entry on this thread). I would encourage folks to take a listen to the recordings which Peter has posted on the site. I was particularly pleased to see the addition of the 2016 St. John Cantius recording there. It is a joy to hear the interpretations of the organists and vocalists he has recruited to make these recordings.

    Too often, the devotional hymns of the 1850-1950 time period are categorically dismissed as being too saccharine and overwrought. When performed well, they can be conducive to devotion and are to be esteemed.

    St. Ambrose's use of simple hymnody, for the purposes of catechesis and to embolden the hearts of Catholics during the Arian heresy, bore fruit. Short article here:
    http://www.ancientchristianstudies.com/blog/2015/4/8/ambrose-of-milan-and-his-anti-arian-hymns

    In our own current period of turbulence, we can do likewise. After Easter, I already have plans to do a couple of the Church-militant themed hymns which popped out to me amongst Peter's collection.
    Thanked by 3noel jones, aago oldhymns Don9of11
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    Have just looked at this, we still sing quite a few of these... Will have to look through my collection of Hymnals to see if anything should be added. A friend has produced his own Hymn book with this style of Hymn, I think he may have scores and midi files for each one... Will ask.
    Thanked by 1oldhymns
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    This recent upload by CCW says (within the pdf) "this rare hymnal courtesy of catholicdevotionalhymns.com", but I don't see this hymnal listed on the website..?

    Songs of Syon
  • oldhymnsoldhymns
    Posts: 229
    Songs of Syon is not on my website catholicdevotionalhymns.com

    I let Jeff borrow my copy of the book, and he has placed it on his website:
    http://www.ccwatershed.org/media/pdfs/16/03/02/13-17-20_0.pdf

    The hymnal is an outstanding resource.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen CCooze expeditus1
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    I downloaded Songs of Syon last night and spent at least two hours paging through it ... it's a marvelous collection.
    Thanked by 3CCooze CharlesW expeditus1
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