Congregational Mass settings
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 904
    I know there has been some discussion on this before, but I'd like to pose the question again:

    What are the best (your favorite) settings of the Mass ordinary for congregation in English? Perhaps posed another way...what are the top 10 (or 5) congregational Mass settings that English speaking parishes should know at this time? Include both English chant and metrical settings. Please include any and all sources (big commercial publishers, smaller publishers and things available online).

    Thanked by 1canadash
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    This could go with MeloCharles' previous post. We don't use vernacular ordinaries in my parish except for the Glory to God, so I can't offer any real practical advice, but from a purely musical one:

    1) ICEL chants (duh!)
    2) "Martyr's Mass" by Noel Jones
    3) "Mass in honor of St Thomas More" by Fr. Samuel Weber (in Vat2 Hymnal)
    4) Anything by Ostrowski
    English Chant Masses from Lumen Christi Missal
    5) Fr. Columba Kelly
    6) Adam Bartlett
    I will shamelessly plug my adaptations two of Henri du Mont's plainchant Masses
    7) Messe Royale
    8) Messe du 6me Ton
    9) "Mass in honor of St Mary Magdalene" by Healey Willan, adapt to MR3 by Fr. Scott Haynes
    Thanked by 1Earl_Grey
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,325
    Not all are my cup of tea, but these will help you avoid the worst of the worst. You hit all the major publishers, in addition to a fair dose of free stuff.

    ICEL Chants
    Mass of Creation (Haugen)
    Heritage Mass (Alstott)
    Mass of the Resurrection (DeBruyn)
    Missa Simplex (Proulx)
    Mass of the Blessed Fire (our own Adam Wood)
    Mass in Honor of St. Anne Line (Ostrowski)
    Mass of the Angels (Richard Clark)

    If you're in a position to jettison the music of the major publishers (and you want to do that), go ahead. I just know that many of us still need to work with them, at least to a certain degree.
    Thanked by 1Earl_Grey
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Mass of the Blessed Fire (our own Adam Wood)


    Wow! Thanks.

    http://shakermass.musicforsunday.com/

    (some of the music on that page is not the latest version- I'm working on an overhaul of all my web-presence at the moment. If you like the setting, let me know and I'll gather up the latest/best version of all the movements and send them over.)
    Thanked by 1Earl_Grey
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    Here's what I've used-

    Diocesan settings (Peoria):

    ICEL Mass
    Mass of Wisdom (Janco)

    Parish settings:

    Mass of St. Francis (Duckworth) (Note: Didn't actually use this one, as my interaction with the publisher (ILP) over some typos in the score was a nightmare. A shame, as this setting is excellent, IMO.)

    Mass in Honor of Our Lady of Good Help (Esguerra)
    Mass of Redemption (Janco) (our contemporary choirs are prepping this one)
    Mass of the English Martyrs (Ostrowski)
    Thanked by 1Earl_Grey
  • Bobby Bolin
    Posts: 419
    The three old WLP settings are all solid:

    Danish Mass
    People's Mass
    Mass of Christian Unity
    Thanked by 1Earl_Grey
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,325
    @Adam -- it's catchy, singable, and free! I'm a big fan :)
    Thanked by 1Adam Wood
  • Marc Cerisier
    Posts: 537
    Our parish has used (in no particular order, and including those used at school masses):

    Mass for the City (Proulx)
    Mass of St. Francis Cabrini (Keil)
    Mass of Redemption (Janco)
    Unity Mass (Duncan)
    A Community Mass (Proulx)
    Mass for the People of God (Chepponis)

    For our "chant" mass, we use...
    ICEL Holy and When We Eat...
    Peter Latona's matching Amen
    Latin Agnus Dei from which the Missal setting was adapted.

    We've used the Mass of the Angels Gloria with it for larger solemnities (in Latin).
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,483


    Community Mass by Proulx Hard to beat. The Gloria is a bit tricky, fine piece.
    Deutche Messe Schubert/Proulx
    Heritage Mass Alstott ('ok')
    People's Mass Vermulst, arr.Proulx
    Roman Missal, harm by Charles Thacher WLP

    We just got the St. Michael's hymnal, (Thanks be to God) and I'm interested in looking into the ordinary settings in this volume, any comments on these?

    BTW, GIA has placed on their website a large selection of unpublished and mss. works by Proulx. Definitley worth checking out. What a giant in our profession.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Nothing against Maestro Proulx, but IMO the "Community Mass" represented the apex of "gebrauchsmusick" or utilitarian composition, of all his many settings. When, in my other thread about "ideal settings" I was hoping for a true unity between accesssibility and aesthetic, "Community" in my mind was the antithesis of that.

    On a more positive note, we auditioned Msgr. Mancini's THAXTED EUCHARISTIC ACCLAMTIONS last night (CanticaNova Press.) There's possibility in this one, but I have some (actually many) quibblings over the text setting of the Sanctus only. But as a solid congregational-friendly piece, it has some shelf life.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    By the way:
    HERE is a PDF of the Mass of the Blessed Fire, with all the most recent emendations, etc.
    Thanked by 1melofluent
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    By the other way, remind me of your sensibilities about setting harmonic accompaniment to your wonderful melodies? Danke sehr.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    I would LOVE for someone who knows the Early American idiom (shapenote, sacred harp, etc) to write a vocal harmonization. That would make me incredibly happy.

    I would PREFER that an instrumental accompaniment NOT be written or performed, though I would not take any legal action against it.
    Thanked by 2Gavin melofluent
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,483
    Thank you for this posting, the mass is beautiful.
    I compliment you on the attractiveness of your score,
    Is that Sibelius?
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    ghmus7: “A Community Mass” was a great setting, but the 2010 text did that Gloria no favors, IMO.

    “Mass for the City” turned out well musically, but I’m a bit suspicious of giving the Gloria to a congregation.

    CCSH has used:

    LeBlanc — St. Benedict
    Mayernik — St. Gregory
    Vogt — St. Michael
    Kirkpatrick — Christ the Redeemer
    An unpublished adaptation of John Merbecke’s setting

    I played the revised Mass of Creation some months back, and it was just … weeeird.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    Thank you for this posting, the mass is beautiful.
    I compliment you on the attractiveness of your score,
    Is that Sibelius?

    Finale and Adobe InDesign
  • Aaron
    Posts: 110
    The instrumental parts for Community Mass are among the best I have ever found. Frequently today, instrumental parts are just copies from brass to strings. The parts for the Community Mass are truly independent parts, not a transcription of the accompaniment, and idiomatic for the instruments for which they were composed. When I need a setting for multiple instruments, this one works. If there are other settings with great instrumental writing, I would like to know them too.
  • Randolph Nichols
    Posts: 398
    Given the common difficulty we now have finding satisfactory English language Mass settings, perhaps we should rethink the necessity of a single setting serving one liturgy. Back in the late 80s and early 90s the most frequently heard Mass in New England was in fact a compilation of movements from various settings that included the Vermulst Holy Holy, Danish acclamation and Amen, plus Isele’s Lamb of God (jokingly called The Boston Mass). It was not a bad solution for the time and I would suggest an approach that might work today. Instead of living or dying with one complete Mass setting, determine the best written Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, and though by different composers, see if they are compatible.
    Thanked by 2SamuelDorlaque CHGiffen
  • Dale Fleck
    Posts: 49
    In my opinion, the easiest Mass setting to learn an that which wears the best is the setting by Dr. Peter Latona, "Mass of the Immaculate Conception". We have been using it over a year and like it the best. It has the feeling of Gregorian Chant but with the added easy and pleasant accompaniment.
    Thanked by 1SamuelDorlaque
  • SamuelDorlaque
    Posts: 318
    For our Cantor/Organ masses, we use Fr. Weber's Kyrie I & Gloria II from "Mass of St.
    Thomas More" in the Vatican II Hymnal; Kyrie XVI, Gloria "A Congregational Mass" ... John Lee, with Proulx's "A Community Mass" Sanctus, Mem Acc, Amen & Agnus Dei; Schubert's
    "Sanctus, Mem Accl, Amen" from "Deutsche Messe" ... arrg Proulx; ICEL setting is always
    good. As are portions of Proulx's "Mass for the City", "Missa Emmanuel", and "Missa simplex." I heartily second the recommendation of Peter Latona's fine settings!!!
    I think the secret for congregational settings is "noble simplicity."
  • SamuelDorlaque
    Posts: 318
    Charles "Melofluent,"
    Speaking of the THAXTED tune, St. James Cathedral in Seattle uses a set of Eucharistic
    Acclamations based on THAXTED. Credit for the setting is given to Msgr. Ryan. They're
    frequently printed in the Service leaflet from St. James.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Hi Samuel, I believe that would be Msgr. Ryan Mancini. We're going to initiate them this Sunday down here. Say hello to your boss for me, and condolences for the NL West champions.
    Thanked by 1SamuelDorlaque
  • Marc Cerisier
    Posts: 537
    The parts for the Community Mass are truly independent parts, not a transcription of the accompaniment, and idiomatic for the instruments for which they were composed.


    I was very impressed by this very thing. We use varying instrumental groups frequently throughout the year, so I've had to work with the parts for many settings. These are the first parts for strings that actually look like they were written by someone who knows how to work with strings. If I remember, it starts with beautiful triple- or quadruple-stops across the strings. It sounds amazing.
  • Musicteacher56
    Posts: 621
    I use Missa Simplex exclusively and the congregation learned it within a few weeks after Haugen's Mass of Creation. I've also used ICEL chants. As much as I hate to admit it, though, in another parish where I teach at school I was told I have to do Mass of a Joyful Heart. That wasn't my choice, to be sure.
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