I must confess that I experienced one of the most truly Catholic of Masses on Ash Wednesday in my 40 years of being an RC. It was our parochial school Mass that also had parishioners in attendance.
First of all, I decided that everything would be sung a capella. Secondly, our parochial vicar virtually sang 90% of all the celebrant's orations and collects.
Introit from sacristy: "Lord, You are merciful to all..." American Gradual/B.Ford
Entrance Hymn: LORD, WHO THROUGHOUT THESE FORTY DAYS
"Kyrie eleison" N. Sleeth
Psalm: Respond and Acclaim "Be merciful, O Lord..." Alstott
GA: R&A, Alstott
Offertory: Attende Domine/Have Mercy on us, Lord- plainchant, Latin/English in alternation
Eucharistic acclamations: N. Sleeth
Communio: "The man who meditates..." American Gradual/B.Ford
Hymn: OUT INTO THE WILDNERNESS (B.Hurd)
Disposition of ashes:"Let the priests and ministers..." American Gradual/B.Ford

The kids sang the hymns and Ordinary movements exceedingly well, as did the parishioners.
It was wonderful.

I didn't get ashes. For us Orthodox, Lent started Sunday night... so all week we've been doing the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.

My Catholic roommates, though, they all went to a really early Mass that didn't have music, so.

Bless the Lord, my church does not do that song. We sang "O Lord my God to thee" (tune by Arcadelt) for the distribution of the ashes. I forgot what the communion was, but the clergy and altar servers processed to the minor introit.

At our EF Mass, I chanted the Antiphons with NOH accompaniments during the Imposition of Ashes - except cutting short the last part of the "Attnede Domine" section. Offertory hymn was "Again We Keep This Solemn Fast" (Spires), Communion hymn was "Lord Jesus, Think on Me" (Southwell), and Recessional hymn was "Lord, Who Throughout These 40 Days" (St. Flavian). Of course, no pre-/inter-/postlude!

I tried something new this year:

For one mass I chanted the "Miserere mei Deus" antiphon out of the Antiphonale (mode 8) with verses of Psalm 51. At and a second Mass, with schola, we sang just the first section of Allegri's Miserere and used this as a repeated antiphon with verses of 51 in between repetitions. I know this is a bit unorthodox, but it worked really well! And it also gave us a taste of the classic piece without having to find a soprano who can hit the high 'c'... which we currently do not have!

allright. my COMPLETE list is
open: Lord Who Throughout these 40 days
psalm respond and acclaim
gospel accl. mine (published by Canticanova)
imposition of ashes: parce domine (sung by male schola) followed by dust and ashes
offertory Adoramus Te (Duboise) (although we do the Gounod setting thats for Sunday)
communion: deep withen
closing Jesus remember me

No "Ashes" We did, instead:

Prelude: Parce, Domine + Kelly introit - "Lord, you are merciful to all" + Gloria Patri, mode 1
Entrance: "Lord Who Throughout These 40 Days."
Psalm and Gospel acclamation from the hymnal
Distribution of Ashes: Attende, Domine + "A lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth" + "Jesus, I Will Ponder Now"
Offertory: Exaltabo te" from AUG + "Lord, for Thy Tender Mercy's Sake."
Mass Ordinary: Mass XVIII
Communion: Kelly antiphon "The man who meditates day and night"
Hymn: "Gifts of Finest Wheat"
Recessional: "Again, We Keep This Solemn Fast"

don roy, patience and courage!
The list I posted is possible due to two consecutive supportive pastors,
a thirteen-plus year journey so far.

Don roy, there's nothing to judge. My parish has a tradition of decent music going back 100 years. Oh, we have had interludes when the music has tended toward schmaltzy, but in the grand scheme of things, they didn't last too long and everyone recovered. You start from where you are and work with what you've got, with a goal in mind. That's all anyone can do.

OF
Before Mass
Lenten Prose - English - as Congregation Enters - they sing Antiphon, Choir sings verses
Mass
Introit - English - Gregorian Psalm Tone - Men's Schola
Psalm - Anglican Chant - Women's Schola SSA
Gospel Acclamation - English - Gregorian Psalm Tone
Imposition of Ashes - O Sacred Head Surrounded - English - Choir
Offertory Verse - English - Gregorian Psalm Tone - Men's Schola
Sanctus - Latin - Gregorian Chant - All
Acclamation & Amen - English - Gregorian Chant - All
Agnus Dei - Latin - Gregorian Chant - All
Communion Verse - English - Gregorian Psalm Tone - Men's Schola
Ave Verum - Latin - Women's Schola
Communion Meditation - We The Lord's People - DECATUR PLACE - All

Should have said we sing Chant Mass in Latin during Lent.

Donna

Fortunately no one has ever even asked me to do "Ashes," so that is one 'tradition' I've been spared from stamping out.

Prelude: "Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder" (first setting) - Pachelbel
Entrance: "The Glory of these Forty Days" (tutti)
Kyrie: Mass XVI. Cantor alternating with everyone else.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51 from ( . . . ingemisco tamquam reus . . . ) "Respond and Acclaim"
Gospel Acclamation: also from "Respond and Acclaim." This is the one to the tune of "Mary had a little lamb."
Imposition of Ashes: Solo motet, "Like as a Father pitieth his Children" by David Davis (19th c.)
Also during ashes: No. 4 from Six Consolations - Franz Liszt (what can I say? I have a performance degree, and we have a really nice piano. And the piece is perfectly in character, not one of Liszt's virtuoso showpieces.)
Sanctus and Anamnesis: from a Mass setting I wrote in 1994. Unison with assembly.
Amen: Recto tono.
Agnus Dei: Mass XVII, but with English text. Also available on this forum somewhere.
Music during Communion: Solo motet, "Pour out your Heart before the Lord," from the oratorio "Abraham" by Bernard Molique (1802-1869). The text reads, "Pour out thy heart before the Lord; Lift up thy hands unto him, for he will not despise the afflicted and them that are of a broken heart; and though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. Pour out your heart &c."
Recessional Hymn: ( . . . culpa rubet vultus meus . . . ) "We Will Rise Again." (Dodging tomatoes at this point.)

We are making progress -- baby steps. The contemporary ensemble sang with us last night, and that is why there were no choral pieces other than the chant. A few years ago, they would never have dreamt of singing chant with us, but they are getting pretty comfortable with it despite the passive-aggressive whispers from their director. There's nothing like a little well-poisoning, you know?

Fortunately when they are exposed to chant the prayer pours out God's grace on them, and they realize that I am not some hydrophobic musical Jansenist, but instead have been telling (and selling) the truth for years, crying in the desert as it were; and then their hearts are softened.

The Lord works in mysterious ways. All I can do is keep presenting the Sacred, Beautiful and Universal and letting them come to the ineluctable conclusions.

Father Spencer--
If I had 20 services in 14 hours I'd be in the loony bin by 10:15! Hope you survived!
Our Ash Wednesday was fairly standard and thankfully lacking of 'Ashes' ( I think I would have been fired if it had reared its ugly head.)
Pre: silence
Pro: These 40 Days Of Lent
Psalm/Acc.--Respond and Acclaim
Ashes: Saviour, When In Dust To Thee (Aberystwyth)
By The Babylonian Rivers (Kas Dziedaja)
Community Mass
Comm: Christians Let Us Love
Rec: The Glory Of These 40 Days

I'm glad someone hit on the penitential rite change for Ash Wednesday. Much as Good Friday, I really have to be on top of my missal to catch that one!

3 Masses with music

School Mass:

Ent.: Led by the Spirit (Kingsfold/B. Hurd text)
Psalm: Antiphon from Gelineau collection, verses to Weber Psalm Tone
GA: "Praise and Honor" Proulx arr. of Kyrie Orbis Factor
Ashes: Attende Domine, w/English verses
Offertory: Show us your mercy
Sanctus: From Englert "Mass of Hope" (Collegeville Hymnal)
MA & Amen: Sacramentary
Agnus: XVIII
Communion: Save your people, O Lord
Closing: Lord, who throughout

For the school Mass, we are really going "brick by brick". We don't have a worship aid, so I'm limited to what's in the red OCP kid's hymnal and Breaking Bread.

Parish Masses (Choir mass at 7PM in ())

(Entrance Antiphon: Kelly)
Entrance Hymn: The glory of these 40...
Psalm: Gelineau
GA: "Praise and Honor" Proulx arr. of Kyrie
Ashes: Attende Domine
(Offertory: Wash me throughly, S.S. Wesley. I know this is a little much, but...it is Psalm 51!)
S&AD: Mass XVIII
MA & Amen: Sacramentary
Communion: Parce Domine
Closing: Lord, who throughout

Normally, we at least sing Entrance and Communion antiphons in addition to a hymn, but I dropped the ball this year at communion...

By the way, if anyone is looking for an arrangement of the entrance for 1st Sunday Lent, Fr. Weber has a great one whose antiphon is based on "Picardy". Everyone seems to sing it well.