Today I sung vespers for St. Cecilia according to the Sarum use Roman Rite, with the Coverdale Psalms from "A Psalter for Prayer" (David James.) They were all pointed and set up to sing. Overall it went very well but I am uncertain it should be repeated as it was today in the future. I've done it before privately hundreds of times and am comfortable with it, but this was one of the first times I did it with this many people present trying to participate.

Four other people sang with me, most of them had limited musical experience. One of them was byzantine rite, 3 others Roman. Their seems to be a feeling amongst them that the gregorian tones were a bit too rigourous and took something away from the meditation/prayer on the psalms and made it more "work than it ought to be".

The one who was byzantine rite suggested using a meinrad tone or something simpler in order to make it more relaxing and less taxing.

Does anyone have any opinion on this, on using slightly simpler tones?
It would be possible for me to organize the coverdale psalms and make them able to be sung similarly to the "revised grail psalms" but without as much rhtyhm.

Any opinions here?

I think I should persue simpler tones, any advice?