Spanish got it right
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Am I the only one who has noticed that the Spanish translations of the Psalms for Mass fit like a GLOVE, while the ICEL translations are very choppy? Or do others agree?

    That is to say, I find it easy to set the Spanish to Psalm tones, because each verse is approximately the same length (like the Grail, I believe).

    But the English . . . it is very difficult. Because some sentences are long, some are short, etc.

    The only time I know when this happens in Latin Psalmody is the Magnificat: the very first half of the verse is but one word: "magnificat." ...And that some times is a little awkward.
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Hrm? I’ve always seen, IIRC:

    Magnificat anima mea Dominum
    et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo, salutari meo.

    I don’t think ICEL is responsible for any liturgical psalm translations we have now except the invitatory Ps. 95 (maybe the other invitatories?) in the Liturgy of the Hours. They did produce a psalter some years back, but it didn’t see the light of day.
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Hi, Felipe.

    Magnificat || anima mea Dominum


    et exsultavit spiritus meus || in Deo, salutari meo.

    One has to adjust the very first part of the psalm tone sometimes, for the word "magnificat"

    Regarding ICEL, I don't know if they did the Psalms, but I am speaking of whoever translated the Psalms that we use at Mass.
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    ....Although, I suppose technically, one could "flex" on "Magnificat Anima Me Dominum"
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    The next time I find one, I shall post a Spanish English Latin comparison, and I think my point will become more clear.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    Its cause Spanish is a latin based language; English is Germanic. And ICEL is... well, hmmm... perhaps its martian.
  • Jevoro
    Posts: 108
    The most recent solesmic antiphonale monasticum gives

    Magnificat anima mea Dominum*
    Et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo.

    (Neovulgate?) instead of: (Liber antiphonarius 820)

    Magnificat* anima mea Dominum
    Et exsultavit spiritus meus* in Deo salutari meo.
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Jeff said:
    Regarding ICEL, I don't know if they did the Psalms, but I am speaking of whoever translated the Psalms that we use at Mass.

    That is basically the NAB text, which, IIRC, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine created, with some modifications made to the text for the US Lectionary. The USCCB holds the copyright to that text; perhaps not coincidentally, Canada and the UK use different psalm translations in their lectionaries.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_American_Bible
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