Dom Gregory Murray's "People's Mass" (free download in PDF) and HOLY WEEK
  • Paul_OnnonhoaratonPaul_Onnonhoaraton
    Posts: 434
    I have a lot of respect for Dom Gregory Murray, but I was not impressed by his "People's Mass."

    Information about this Mass (and a free download of the Latin Version) can be found here:

    Dom Gregory Murray's People's Mass

    From what I hear, Dom Gregory Murray's Mass sold millions and millions of copies (in Latin & English).

    By the way, at that same website link (ABOVE) you can download an incredibly interesting collection called "Organ Accompaniment to the Music of Holy Week."
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    Are you planning on rewriting the Sanctus with the roman missal 2010 text translation? Also, are you planning on putting a link for the manuals only book you mentioned you have by Murray? I would love to get a look at both since I grew up in his mass as a child (only 26 here)!
    Thanked by 1Paul_Onnonhoaraton
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    I'm very interested to see these organ works.
    Thanked by 1Paul_Onnonhoaraton
  • mahrt
    Posts: 517
    I remember our parish adopting Dom Gregory Murray's Mass. We had argued for a Gregorian one, but the clergy said it would be too difficult. Murray's would be easier. They were pleased at how quickly the congregation picked it up, but in a matter of a few more weeks, participation waned; it just did not sustain interest.
    Thanked by 2Paul_Onnonhoaraton Steve Collins
  • awruff
    Posts: 94
    I'm with William Mahrt (and all) - AGM's Mass is really tedious. Glad it had already faded away by the time I came into music work. I hadn't known of it until this year.
    awr
  • Palestrina
    Posts: 422
    I was thinking about this a little bit today...

    Yes, this Mass is dreadfully dull. It's also very easy. In its published form, I can understand people getting very bored, very fast. Imagine, however, what you could do with a little bit of rearranging. Because it's so easy, the congregation can hold its own, regardless of what you do to the accompaniment, and potentially an SATB choir part. Imagine varying the harmonies, introducing descants, moving the melody into the tenor (think of the fauxbourdon verse in the Old Hundredth) - in short, all the party tricks that you'd use with a decent hymn. That, after all, was Gregory Murray's compositional principle: that this should be as easy to sing as a normal hymn. Think creatively, maybe think 'Carols for Choirs' style rearranging, without the whole thing becoming OTT. Would I do this every week? No. Do I think that there's scope for having some fun? Absolutely!
  • SacredStrings
    Posts: 1
    If any guitarist needs chords to this Mass let me know.
  • graduale
    Posts: 30
    I wonder if he knew he was ripping off R.R. Terry's Short Mass in C (The Kyrie)...the Terry came way before!
  • Joseph Michael
    Posts: 258
    I agree with previous poster about the tediousness of the whole package of this mass. But, the "Lord have mercy" and the "Holy", in my opinion, hold up well on their own. The individual parts are not boring. The "Holy" has a dignity and a reverence that is lacking in too many settings that are currently sung. Murray has a way of making even the timid congregation sing naturally and easily. That is no mean task.
    Thanked by 1Steve Collins
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,022
    I personally like this Mass. It fulfills a need - for the congregation to EASILY join in on parts that they are canonically allowed to do so. We used it once, when we weren't able in the short time, to learn a more complicated choral Mass, and gave it to the EF Mass congregation, who were able to sing it immediately, without any preface or rehearsal. I would probably get bored with it, were it to be the only Mass music in use - sort of like Psalm Tone 8 music from the 1970s! BTW, I have adapted it to a 6-fold Kyrie and added all 3 Memorial Acclamations to it. (I also lowered it to C major.) Let me know if you are interested.
  • Palestrina
    Posts: 422
    Is it really much more boring than a Lutheran chorale?

    Couldn't we learn from our Protestant friends and add things around it that would make it more interesting? Might also appease some liturgists within our own ranks who see the role of the choir as being to weave a garland around the dog of the congregation...
  • NathanReich
    Posts: 31
    How did I do? Is there any interest in seeing the Gloria and Credo treated the same way?
    Peoples Mass.pdf
    144K
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