A Metrical Responsorial Psalm for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time / C

ronkrisman

There’s been some discussion the past two days about today’s responsorial psalm, as well as Rory Cooney’s setting of Psalm 40, and, finally, “psalm paraphrases” and “hymns being used in place of psalms.”

Huguenots, Calvinists, Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed, to name but a few, have a long practice of singing “metrical psalms” at worship. Since “Psalms arranged in metrical form” are now permitted by the USA’s GIRM 61, those interested may wish to clip the following for use as the responsorial psalm three years from now. It’s by the distinguished Dr. Isaac Watts. Oh, but since it probably is not in any Catholic hymnal which has been published with ecclesiastical approval, you’ll need to get your diocesan bishop’s approval. But you have three years.

BTW, the text is really quite a nice translation/paraphrase/metrical psalm/hymn, whatever. Sing it to NEW BRITAIN, and you may achieve the critical mass otherwise known as FACP.

I waited patient for the Lord,
He bowed to hear my cry;
He saw me resting on his word,
And brought salvation nigh.

He raised me from a horrid pit,
Where mourning long I lay,
And from my bonds released my feet,
Deep bonds of miry clay.

Firm on a rock he made me stand,
And taught my cheerful tongue
To praise the wonders of his hand,
In a new thankful song.

I'll spread his works of grace abroad;
The saints with joy shall hear,
And sinners learn to make my God
Their only hope and fear.

How many are thy thoughts of love!
Thy mercies, Lord, how great!
We have not words nor hours enough,
Their numbers to repeat.

When I 'm afflicted, poor, and low,
And light and peace depart,
My God beholds my heavy woe,
And bears me on his heart.

Adam Wood

It's a nice text, and I would feel very comfortable programming as a hymn.

Even with the (ostensible) allowance for metrical psalms (which I am not convinced was intended to mean a rhymed poetical paraphrase, but maybe it was) it strikes me as a weird practice for two reasons:

a) the line between accurate metrical paraphrase and "inspired by" is pretty sketchy. I'm not sure I would trust myself (let alone, other people) to always get it right. ("Canticle of the Turning," I'm looking at you.)

b) the genre seems alien to the Liturgy of the Word. Episcopalians have this thing they (sometimes) call a Sequence- they sing a hymn (any hymn) during the Gospel procession (where Latins and Orthodox would sing Alleluia). It strikes me as supremely weird and wrong every time it happens, every place I've ever been where it happens. Similarly, I've been a t a few Catholic parishes where they have sung the Pentecost or Easter Sequence as metrical Hymn (tunes like ODE TO JOY or LAMBILOTTE). It just seems wrong and out of place (even in liturgies where all the rest of the music is hymns and songs in the same style).

Obviously (B) is just my subjective opinion, but it's my primary objection to this sort of thing: it seems weird.

Besides all that: thanks for introducing another fine text.

I will say, though- I feel like singing NEW BRITAIN to anything other than Amazing Grace is.... (sorry) weird.

kevinf

I detest the text and I am burned out of the tune. If I never sing it again, it will be too soon. I have lived too long in the Southern US.

ronkrisman

Adam and Kevin, I was joking about the use of NEW BRITAIN. I too detest the text (of "Amazing Grace"), Kevin, and it's never been sung at a Mass where I had a say. (Unfortunately, at my younger brother's funeral - he was a fireman - we couldn't very well say no to the bagpipers, so they piped NEW BRITAIN after Mass. But no words were sung.)

Adam, I'm intrigued by your statement: "Even with the (ostensible) allowance for metrical psalms (which I am not convinced was intended to mean a rhymed poetical paraphrase, but maybe it was)." GIRM 61 speaks of "Psalms arranged in metrical form." It does not use the term "metrical psalms," which has long been in use, and is understood as referring to the Genevan psalter, texts such as the Isaac Watts' text, and things of that sort. I find "Psalms arranged in metrical form" to be unusual and strange and, consequently, unclear and open to more than one interpretation.

GIRM 61 contains other strange turns of phrase, such as "Responsorial Gradual," as well as many unnecessary capital letters.

Adam Wood

GIRM 61 speaks of "Psalms arranged in metrical form." It does not use the term "metrical psalms," which has long been in use, and is understood as referring to the Genevan psalter, texts such as the Isaac Watts' text, and things of that sort. I find "Psalms arranged in metrical form" to be unusual and strange and, consequently, unclear and open to more than one interpretation. (emph added)

Precisely. I think, when the rules are unclear, the most conservative (least unusual, most traditional, whatever) interpretation is the best. I, therefore, take it to mean, "Psalms (the right text) arranged musically to music with rhythm and meter."

And I like "Amazing Grace." Maybe I should put that in the Guilty Pleasures thread.

ronkrisman

That's precisely the opposite of Catholic canonical tradition. When something is unclear, the broadest interpretation is allowed.

Adam Wood

That's precisely the opposite of Catholic canonical tradition. When something is unclear, the broadest interpretation is allowed.

I didn't say what I thought was allowed- just what was best. Which of course is my opinion, not a statement on canonical interpretation.

chonak

Adam is following the programmer's dictum: 'be conservative in what you transmit and liberal toward what you receive'.

Andrew Motyka

While we may agree or disagree about whether GIRM 61 intends for a metrical paraphrase as exemplified above, I do not believe that that section allows for the congregation to sing the psalm in its entirety.

Hence the psalmist, or cantor of the Psalm, sings the Psalm verses at the ambo or another suitable place, while the whole congregation sits and listens, normally taking part by means of the response, except when the Psalm is sung straight through, that is, without a response.

The congregation "normally" participates through response. The exception is, in my opinion, when the psalmist sings the psalm in its entirety, not the congregation.

Adam Wood

Adam is following the programmer's dictum: 'be conservative in what you transmit and liberal toward what you receive'.

Precisely.

I don't believe in complaining about other people taking a (reasonable) liberal interpretation of the rules. But I think it is imprudent to do so.

Given a context where my opinion was sought or a conversational avenue open, I might tell a music director (or whoever) that I thought their use of "All People That On Earth Do Dwell" in place of Psalm 100 during the Responsorial Psalm was a bad idea. But I wouldn't argue from a standpoint of "it's against the RULES," nor would I bother a superior (the Bishop, the Pastor) about it on my own initiative.

Liam

Well, GIRM 61's permission on metrical psalmody hinges on approval by the national conference or the local ordinary; given the obvious lack of approval by the national conference, a list of dioceses where an ordinary's approval still obtains would be a prudent inquiry before proceeding as a general matter.

That said, I don't see a sufficiently good or sound reason for substituting a metrical paraphrase for proper lections (of which the Responsorial Psalm is one); I think doing so tends to reduce the the RP to the level of a hymn, instead of treating it with the dignity to which the Word of God is properly accorded, and I believe the recovery of the RP as part of the Word of God in the conciliar reforms is a more important principle to be defended, at least from the perspective of this liturgical progressive.

And all that also having been said, I would love to see the commissioning of a Creative Commons/public domain work containing metrical settings of the Book of Psalms and the scriptural canticles used in Catholic liturgy (not just Mass, but the Divine Office, et cet.). But not for use instead of the RP....

ronkrisman

I don't think a Creative Commons/PD work of metrical psalm settings would be anything more than a book of metrical psalm translations, prepared mostly by and for use in the Reformed churches and largely replaced by the same Reformed churches these days with newer (and yes, copyrighted) texts.

Someone looking for an outstanding collection of psalm settings, check out Psalms for All Seasons: A Complete Psalter for Worship, copublished in 2012 by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Faith Alive Christian Resources, and Brazos Press. It contains all 150 psalms and many OT and NT canticles. Most psalms have at least two settings, and many have a great number. For instance, psalm 23 has 11 settings; psalm 51 has 15. I have not made a count, but I would imagine there are probably 750 musical settings in the 1052 pages of music. All psalms are pointed for chanting to psalm tones, and there is ordinarily at least one metrical translation - often several - for each psalm.

http://worship.calvin.edu/resources/publications/psalms-for-all-seasons-a-complete-psalter-for-worship

Adam Wood

@ronkrisman that looks like a great resource for metrical settings
(though I cannot, for the life of me, comprehend why anyone would want to chant the NRSV translation of anything...)

I think an Open Source version of this sort of thing would be a manifest boon to the world. On the other hand, it should be noted (as Fr. RK does above) that most people/places who are into metrical psalmody wouldn't ever care.

Adam Wood

And as for an Open Source project of Responsorial Psalms using the correct text and in a sacred style, one of those (fitting most of the requirements of "Open Source") already exists.

Andrew_Malton

In Canada our whole lectionary is based on the NRSV, with recogniti corrections to its numerous mistranslations. However it does retain many Standard turns of phrase. And it is quite chantable in plainsong. I should know, I have set the whole lectionary psalter including the propers and commons to adapted Gregorian responsorial melodies. It works!

Adam Wood

I said "want to"

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