More English Propers, Advent/Christmas
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    This is the first part of my collection of English Plainsong for the Modern Roman Rite, which contains chant settings of official liturgical texts using the most recent English translations of the Roman Missal and Lectionary. The collection contains Entrance, Offertory, and Communion antiphons with verses, along with Responsorial Psalms and Verse before the Gospel with its response. Choir edition contains both traditional square notes and modern notation. Organ edition includes accompaniment for all the antiphons, and will eventually contain accompaniment for the verses as well.

    Part I, Advent/Christmas, is now available for PDF download on my website. More parts will be posted as they are completed, and a print edition should be available sometime in 2013. The PDF files are too big to post here; these are direct links:

    English Plainsong, Part I: Advent/Christmas

    Choral edition
    Organ edition, Part 1
    Organ edition, Part 2
    Organ edition, Part 3

    Best wishes for blessings in the new liturgical year,
    Richard Rice

    Thanked by 5Heath SpeakNSpirit tomboysuze PMulholland SMR
  • Paul_OnnonhoaratonPaul_Onnonhoaraton
    Posts: 434
    Wonderful ! Congratulations!
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    Richard, these are wonderful!

  • tomboysuzetomboysuze
    Posts: 289
    Richard,
    Thank you so much. We've been singing your introits/communio's for the past 2 months. We also use SEP, but I like to change it up depending on which liturgy (high or less high).
    My congregation loves these. Interesting to note that there was a lot of resistance to SEP when I first took this job...even the very good (and solid) Pastor was confused; "The people don't know when to sing or what you're doing." Yes, despite repeated explanations before mass.

    So, in an effort to preserve the tiny amount of progress we had made in doing the propers at all, we started using your settings from the simple choral graduale.

    Two things happened right away: 1. my rusty, returning parish choir members started to get better at sight reading - as I had everyone - advanced and novice alike - read through them a cappella after I played the refrain once.
    2. All resistance to chanting the propers - your settings and the SEP settings - stopped immediately.
    3. People ALWAYS turn around and look into the choir loft when we sing them.
    People really love them and enjoy the Byzantine-like structure.

    Now we chant your setting for the High mass and I have a lone tenor chant the SEP propers for the "less high" masses. After Jan. 1 - I'll be switching them around from liturgy to liturgy. I think it took a more homophonic setting to pave the way for the chant setting. (?)

    Yesterday we chanted the settings for Christus Rex before a mass celebrated by one of the Bishops at our parish outside of DC -- and the Bishop was very impressed and liked the settings very much. (next we'll be moving into psalm settings for use during communion.)

    Thank you, Thank you!
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    In case some of you might be interested in these this year...
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Kathy
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