Please give me honest feedback. I have set the Te Deum to essentially the tone of Gloria 15 Dominus Deus, as it has some similarity in feel to the 'authentic melody' but much easier to sing.
I mean.... It works, but it feels like you're singing a Gloria instead of the Te Deum... The simple tone Te Deum is quite lovely - why not use that if the Solemn is too difficult?
Thank you for that useful feedback, certainly something to think on.
My rationale- Irregular lay users cannot handle even the simple tone. For regular users/choirs, sure simple tone, but the real thing is not that much more to deal with in that case. The 2 texts are similar in nature; the music of Gloria 15, unlike other glorias is a tone not an overall melody. (does it "feel like the Gloria" simply by virtue of association?) Nearly the same tone is used in the chant Christus Vincit but I am otherwise not aware of it being used anywhere else, so that's perhaps +1 for exclusive Gloria usage..(?)
Yes, it does. And we sing the Te Deum exactly once per year. I mean we chant more than most, and we have robust congregational singing. But it’s not something that’s that hard. Or you just have to accept that it needs practice and that the people might not sing.
To participate in the discussions on Catholic church music, sign in or register as a forum member, The forum is a project of the Church Music Association of America.