Looking For - Litany of the Saints - Organ Accompaniment
  • MaestroMark32MaestroMark32
    Posts: 66
    Does anone have an accompaniment for the Litany of the Saints as found in the Roman Missal? It has been requested that this be accompanied on organ at my church during the Vigil Mass, and all I can find in the hymnal accompaniments are melodies.
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    Take a look at this:

    http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/8506#Item_3
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Why on earth would we accompany the Litany of the Saints on the organ, or any other instrument? If we let the congregation hear itself sing, it might do so more often.

    I realize that someone requested it, but before you accommodate the request you should inquire as to what purpose there is in doing so. It's a simple Litany.

    My own experience (for example, with the Divine Mercy Chaplet) is universally negative. Just let people sing.

  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,413
    It never fails, does it?
    Just when we think that it can't possibly be worse, someone trots up with an idea like this.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Paul_OnnonhoaratonPaul_Onnonhoaraton
    Posts: 434
    StPatsMusic,

    Welcome! Off the top of my head, I am not aware of an accompaniment, but I'm sure there are many. Did you try the ICEL website? Many people accompany the sacred Litany on the organ (for instance the Vatican) and I'm sure it can be done quite beautifully. We always did it unaccompanied, but I'm sure it could also be beautiful accompanied.


    Regarding the chant, it can be done beautifully with or without accompaniment, but many organists have found that using the organ to accompany the congregational singing can be very advantageous. For instance, I believe they accompany the Mass Ordinary at St. Stephen's in Sacramento, which is one of the leading examples of Catholic music programs today.
    Thanked by 2ContraBombarde Claire H
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215


    Welcome, StPatsMusic! I hope you were able to find a solution for the Vigil, or at least find out that you could get along without the accompaniment :-)

    --RC
    (forum admin)
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,978
    I have not found an accompaniment, either. There isn't one on the ICEl site, or in the printed missal. Given that my choir and congregation tend to drift off key, I semi-accompanied it at the Easter Vigil. I used a soft stop that wouldn't carry far out of the choir loft, and played the choir/congregation response melody lines. That gave the cantor the pitch for the next verse, then I played melody softly on the next response. The congregation followed the choir's pitch, and it worked out well.

    No one's faith, morals, or the collective good of the Church ever rested on whether or not something is or isn't accompanied. My advice to StPatsMusic is do what works best for you and your congregation.
    Thanked by 1Claire H
  • WiesOrganista
    Posts: 128
    Some chants I like to accompany, some I don't. I was forbidden from chanting the Communion Proper because it was acapella (and dissident, so I was told). Since I started accompanying myself lightly on the organ, I've been sneaking it in for months.
    It is a matter of opinion that it should only be done acapella, and if that works for you, CGZ, great.

    I, for one, will do what works in my parish, and will continue to help others by answering questions regardless of what their intentions are.

    If Pius X had thought accompanied chant needed to go away, he would have suppressed it along with alternatum.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    You can locate accompaniments in the OCP keyboard accompaniments, they are revised to reflect the 3rd Roman Missal, you can also get a copy of the one in latin from canticanova.com and just superimpose the English on top of it. The other resource would be Carlo Rossini's; Parochial Hymnal. I had originally gotten it from that book, and just superimposed the English on top of it. Hope this helps.

    Canticanova Litany
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,978
    I agree, WiesOrganista. It amazes me the trivia that some of the purists get their big shorts in knots over. Like Catholic musicians don't have anything significant to worry about these days.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
  • Paul_OnnonhoaratonPaul_Onnonhoaraton
    Posts: 434
    ContraB, do you own a copy of the Parochial Hymnal? It would be fantastic if that book could be scanned and placed online.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    Yes, I do
    Thanked by 1Paul_Onnonhoaraton
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    If you have a copy that can sacrificed for the cause: i.e., unbound and scanned sheet by sheet for the best results, contact Jeffrey Tucker to find out where CMAA gets books scanned.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    Does anyone know the status of the copyright on that hymnal? Is it now in public domain?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    From what I find on-line, it was published in 1936 and the copyright was renewed in 1964. That provided 47 additional years of copyright, for a total of 75 years. If my understanding is right, 75 years from 1936 is 2011, so the book should be in the public domain now.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    So that would still place it under copyright protections?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    Huh? Public domain = end of copyright protection.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    I think I wrote my response before you edited yours. Ok, so the book should now be in public domain. I'll look towards trying to scan it at the end of the liturgical season.

    I wasn't sure if when they renewed the copyright, that gave an extension of 75 years to the renewal date.
  • jpal
    Posts: 365
    Not another one! You guys are killing me. I have literally broken printers by overworking them on CMAA and CCW scans. My pastor is going to wonder if I am running an undercover printing business out of the music office.

    That said, I can't wait to see this.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Felicity
    Posts: 77
    I, too, look forward to having access to a scanned copy of the Parochial Hymnal.

    1. Thank you, ContraBombarde, for being willing to scan your copy.
    2. Thank you, Paul_Onnonhoaraton, for making the suggestion.

    Deo gratias!
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