A "New World Gradual" for the OF
  • JohnCTX
    Posts: 3
    I've been lamenting the death of the gradual in the Ordinary Form. Fr Weber's propers, and others in the same vane, provide great options for three of the five gregorian propers we find in the Graduale, but the gradual and alleluia are hard to find done even in many religious communities (that I'm aware of) that do the gregorian for everything else.

    And any way, letter of the law, it seems the gradual doesn't have a proper place in the NO liturgy unless done exactly as found in the Graduale, and even then only in certain regions. Clearly the missal intends for the responsory to the first reading to have a simple antiphon that the faithful can join in.

    Now, if it was up to me, I would have the Responsorial Psalm after the first reading like we currently have, and restore the gradual to its proper place as the responsory to the Epistle. The weird thing is, I was in Rome for vacation not too long ago, and while I was there, the oddest thing happened - nobody asked my opinion about the liturgy.

    So I thought, is there any way in the liturgy as it is that we can have both? And it occurred to me, it seems backwards for the cantor to have a simple reciting tone for the verses while the congregation sings the musically complex part! Why not make use of our expert singer for something beautiful? And so, the "Graduale Novi Mundi" was conceived.

    I've seen people do similar things (ServiamScores comes to mind, at least with the trad Alleluias) but I went whole hog with it. Maybe this turns out to be a purely academic pursuit, but I've finished writing my first NO-compliant gregorian gradual for the Assumption and thought I would share.

    Please forgive my crude recording setup!

    The Responsorial Psalm: https://youtu.be/m16ZzN4puD0

    Alleluia:
    https://youtu.be/eHKwtoelahs
    Thanked by 2AdteBeateJoseph3 GregoryWeber
  • RMSawicki
    Posts: 142
    For what it's worth, you have MY FULL SUPPORT for such an undertaking! Go for it! Your first "demonstration" is obviously a labor of love...no self-effacing disclaimers necessary!

    Keep up the good work!

    Gaudete in Domino Semper!
    Thanked by 1ServiamScores
  • lmassery
    Posts: 433
    I think you make a good point about the cantor having the easy part and the assembly the hard part of a responsorial psalm. I like the concept. Have you considered creating a simplified version that still maintains some of the melodic content of the gradual? Like the “2nd” Weber option. I mention this because it’s too complex for 99% of NO cantors, and also takes a long time. Might be nice to save those for the bigger feasts but have a Less complex version as well
    Thanked by 1ServiamScores
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,676
    I would probably hold off on doing this unless you’re doing it for purely personal enjoyment. I think an announcement of something from The Powers That Be should come forth within that time that would probably change your mind about doing this.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,486
    You've got it backwards!
    The people's respond should be a simple melody whilst the cantor has a more challenging melody.
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,404
    I would probably hold off on doing this unless you’re doing it for purely personal enjoyment. I think an announcement of something from The Powers That Be should come forth within that time that would probably change your mind about doing this.


    Am I the only one who wants MJM to elaborate?!
    Thanked by 4GerardH LauraKaz Gamba ServiamScores
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,913
    Nice; I've considered doing something like this myself for our non-choral Masses.
    "O Dau-ghtuh" is possible, of course, but if I were reading this early in the morning I'd probably save that syllable for the end.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,212
    @irishtenor there was a long thread about the legislation on using translations of the interlectionary chants of the full Graduale Romanum in the vernacular (particularly in the USA) in which MJM posted; it seems that permission to use those in lieu of the psalms and antiphons from the approved sources (in the U.S., the lectionary, the Graduale Simplex, or an approved collection) or the Alleluia and Gospel Acclamation taken from the lectionary will come in due course.
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 641
    Fr. Steven Lewis’s (musically-simpler but well-done) St. John’s Gradual was released last yearwith ecclesiastical approbation from +O’Malley. He sets the Solesmes translations of the gradual and alleluias. https://www.ccwatershed.org/2024/09/13/the-saint-johns-gradual/
    Thanked by 2ServiamScores mikevp
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,676
    I can’t elaborate but something is coming, not from any publisher, but from “above”.
    Thanked by 1MatthewRoth
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