Mass of Saint John Henry Newman (2026 Revision)
  • achoyce91achoyce91
    Posts: 188
    I presented this Mass a while ago and got a pretty good response. I plan on submitting this to Cantica Nova. A professional mockup will be created soon.

    Here’s the score follower video: https://youtu.be/PWAZ554eAHM?si=cw2wqn43-hHUYg8-

    Soli Deo gloria!
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 98
    Why do you use two staffs for the unisono part? The score could be made more compact by using only one staff, it seems to me. Is all to be meant to be sung by a schola, or are there sections to be sung by the congregation? If you plan to publish it, e.g. via Cantica Nova, it might be helpful to indicate how schola and congregation can alternate.
    Thanked by 1achoyce91
  • achoyce91achoyce91
    Posts: 188
    It’s meant to be sung by the choir and congregation, except for the cantor parts. I already submitted this to Cantica Nova and their problem was the lack of harmony in the choir part, which the reason I did that was because usually Novus Ordo Masses include the congregation. I wanted the congregation to clearly hear the main line. I’m not sure how I can be strategic about this… Their other problem was the right hand in bass clef. They thought it would sound muddy. It sounds fine in the register it’s in, in my opinion, but maybe this would not be sound good live. I don’t know.
  • davido
    Posts: 1,179
    What you have written is a union mass setting. If you wish it to alternate between cantor/choir and congregation, simplify the score by only having one vocal staff and noting the alternation with text “cantor” “congregation” above the staff.
    Cantica nova is right about the double bass clef accompaniment. For congregational music you need the congregation’s part in the right hand of the accompaniment. If this is for pipe organ, the walking bass part can be in the pedal and the harmony and melody can be spread across the right and left hands. Not having the vocal melody in the accompaniment will leave the congregation feeling unsupported.
    Study all the examples you can find of published mass settings to learn the musical conventions of this genre.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Xopheros
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