What psalm settings does the annual New St. Joseph Sunday Missal use?
  • Nessie86
    Posts: 4
    I'm hoping someone can answer this for me. My priest is considering switching our annual missalette subscription to the St. Joseph Sunday Missal next year. Does anyone know what Psalm settings this missal uses? I can't find the information anywhere. We're unfortunately locked into another year of OCP's Today's Missal (new priest, ordered before he had a chance to cancel), but we've agreed we want to stop using the Respond and Acclaim psalms. I was just going to start using the Chabanel psalms, but I'm curious what the St. Joseph Sunday Missal uses, and whether I shouldn't start using whatever that is. Also, I see there's hymns included in the annual version; are these traditional hymns or...?? Can't find any indexes.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    Many churches have had to deal with this situation. Priests should come down hard on OCP and let them out of contracts...their dates for signing often let the outgoing make the decision, which just isn't right.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    I'm not sure that the St Joseph annual edition has any music noted for the psalm settings. The publisher's catalog on their web site doesn't seem to offer an accompaniment book.
  • Bobby Bolin
    Posts: 417
    They are very simple chant settings. I'll double check when I get home.
    Thanked by 1BruceL
  • quilisma
    Posts: 136
    They're very simple - sometimes too simple. Suited to parishes with minimal music resources, I would say. I think they're written specifically for this missal and only the refrain is set to music. You'll have to find some suitable tones to sing the psalm verses. Beware, the key signature used is sometimes misleading.

    The hymn section is a bit of a mixed bag. I don't find it very useful and have created some booklets with my own selections of public domain hymns. Occasionally we sing a hymn from it, particularly if there's a copyright text I want to sing.
  • RevAMG
    Posts: 162
    If you are talking about the annual New...Saint Joseph Sunday Missal Prayerbook and Hymnal, the responsorial psalm settings are by the Rev. John Selner, S.S. (1904–1992) who, at one time, was the president of the Society of St. Gregory of America (and, one could say, one of the founders of the CMAA). Unfortunately, I've never seen them outside of that missalette nor have I seen any accompaniments or verse notations. I'm not sure from where Catholic Book Publishing Corp. got them.

    As a matter of interest, here's a quote from Fr. Selner: "It should also be apparent to a musician of good taste and religious sense that trivial and paltry tunes cannot be sacred; that unusual and tortuous intervals are too distracting to be reverent; that trite and conventional progressions are, as a rule, wearisome and without the inspiration required of true prayer; that hysterical and dramatic music is out of place in the expression of the realities of religion; that aimless and unresolved dissonances are against the laws of nature and thoroughly inartistic. These he should see, are all failures to attain sanctity, goodness of form, and universality and certainly they do not have the movement, inspiration or savor of the supreme model, the Gregorian form."
    Thanked by 3canadash CHGiffen tomjaw
  • Nessie86
    Posts: 4
    Huh, interesting that there's no accompaniment book. Though maybe these missals are intended more for individual than parish use? I saw this morning that Father left a copy on my desk, so I'l have to study it tomorrow. Maybe just using the Chabanel psalms will work fine, since most folks don't read music. As long as the words match. That's essentially what we'll be doing at least some of the time this next year with the OCP missalettes. I am so so sick of Respond and Acclaim.. am I off base on this, or are the psalms in there often clunky, in an unsuitable minor key, etc? I'm always (as a vocalist) wanting to change them.
  • ryandryand
    Posts: 1,640
    In the case of looking for other settings, and since nobody reads standard music notation, you could also check out the settings in the Lumen Christi Missal. The gregorian notation is easier to read, especially without people used to standard notation who are wont to whine about neumes.
    Accompaniments are also available. And in standard notation if you get any whiners.

    Go to the score library at illuminarepublications.com and rejoice.
  • ChantingOrgan
    Posts: 36
    I'm wondering why parishes still purchase annual missalettes; GIA has shown how you can save much more money with a permanent hymnal and/or missal. Of course, you probably don't want any GIA hymnal, but every parish celebrating the Novus Ordo liturgy should definitely consider the St. Isaac Jogues Missal from CCWatershed. It is probably the best pew missal ever. See more at ccwatershed.org/jogues
  • Nessie86
    Posts: 4
    I would love the Jogues Missal, it's beautiful. Father says we have to stick with the lighter weight annual missal for the older parishioners, I guess the hardback book is too heavy when they're standing... But at least a non-OCP annual (not seasonal) missal is a step in the right direction. I think we're looking at the St. Michael Hymnal, too. Maybe not the best, but I think it's what will work best for the parish as far as where we're at with things. I also like the Lumen Christi options. I just got Father looking at the Ignatius Pew Missal as another subscription choice.
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Let me suggest an alternative: point the psalms entire for singing with St. Meinrad psalm tones (V and VIII learn easily), then have the congregation sing the entire psalm.

    I’ve had a fairly good response from the late-morning crowd at my parish when doing this. You have to go through it line-by-line with them for a while, but eventually those who make an effort will catch on.
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