Easy Sanctus ?
  • probe
    Posts: 62
    I've just worked down the Saint Antoine Kyriale list of Sanctus versions and the easiest appears to be Sanctus XVIII, from Deus Genitor alme. I'm finding Sanctus VIII hard to teach - although I could of course just be patient and keep going over it slowly in sections. Any other suggestions?
    TIA
    Patrick

  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 606
    Are you allowing them to learn them by rote as well? If not, that might be the fastest way until they develop their musical ear. The Sanctus from Missa de Profunctis is fairly simple, I think. I never found the Ordinaries particularly difficult to learn, so I’m not really sure what’s considered easy vs difficult.
  • TCJ
    Posts: 1,034
    Are you talking about teaching a congregation or a choir? For a choir, I found Sanctus VIII easy because of the repeating motifs. Have them learn one, point to the other which is identical and light bulb moment.
  • probe
    Posts: 62
    Thank you.
    Yes it's mainly rote, only a couple can read music. Not a problem, we've just started, but I don't want to discourage them with anything too hard.
  • probe
    Posts: 62
    Thanks TJC
    I don't see much repetition in Sanctus VIII, compared to Kyrie & Agnus Dei, just a similar descending phrase at the end of each line. Still, even that is something to mentally press Save on.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    Also solfège parts so that you hit every note and every ascending interval (but you might skip portions in doing so). Like, you need to hit La-Do and Do-La, but you can skip the repetition of one or both as you move through the chant (and because solmizing whole chants in rehearsal is cruel).
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,090
    Maybe it would be useful to go through some of the sight-reading exercises in this book, which we offer for download
    https://media.churchmusicassociation.org/books/cours-elementaire-et-pratique-de-plain-chant.pdf

    or in print:
    https://shop.musicasacra.com/product/elementary-practical-course-in-gregorian-chant-balduinus-van-poppel/
    Thanked by 1probe
  • TCJ
    Posts: 1,034
    Thanks TJC
    I don't see much repetition in Sanctus VIII, compared to Kyrie & Agnus Dei, just a similar descending phrase at the end of each line. Still, even that is something to mentally press Save on.


    Plenty of it. See attached. Teach them the final excelsis and you've got 40% done.
    MassVIIIGraphic.png
    415 x 367 - 46K
    Thanked by 7CHGiffen irishtenor probe MatthewRoth Abbysmum marta_866 Liam
  • probe
    Posts: 62
    Thanks very much TCJ, that's more than I had noticed! More exercise required.
  • marta_866
    Posts: 3
    The Mass XVIII is the easiest, but... it's the Requiem Mass. Be careful if you also take the Agnus Dei...
    Thanked by 1probe
  • probe
    Posts: 62
    @marta_866 I see that is headed "In feriis Adventus et Quadragesimae et ad Missam pro defunctis", p.767 of the Graduale. That looks OK to me. And the Agnus Dei looks normal, "dona nobis pacem" rather than "dona eis pacem" which is what I'd expect from a Requiem. Is there something I'm not seeing?
  • unknownadversary
    Posts: 13
    The easier chants sometimes sound really depressing because they were used for Lent and Requiem masses.

    So XV, XVI, and XVIII are simple, but not nice, instead people find them really sad.
    Thanked by 1probe
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,464
    Was Missa VIII (collected together rather late in the game) commonly used for *Requiem Masses*? I guess I thought its connection to Masses pro defunctis was more in the context of Masses for deceased baptized children who died before attaining the age of reason.
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