Possible new blog/publishing project? Input wanted
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    As some of you might have noticed, I've taken a crack a few times at transcribing various chants to English. Since I have a long and probably boring summer ahead of me, I wonder if there would be any interest in a project I'm considering. I'm thinking of starting up a blog again (you may remember I ran "Laudamus Te" briefly) and mainly using it to post such transcriptions. Who would be interested in such a site? My main idea isn't to go back to blogging, but simply to put my work out there in case it can help someone. Would any of you have an interest in this or perhaps use it in your parishes or scholas?
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    A bit about my "publishing" plan:

    I'd post my writings, at first handwritten in modern notation and eventually in Gregoire. I use the introit tune, modified as I see it fitting English better, likely with the translation from the Anglican Use Gradual. I'd publish about a month in advance, with an index according to the OF lectionary. Whoever wants it, for whatever purpose, may simply print it out and sing from it all he likes. I'd have 0 copyrighting on it because I really don't care what someone does with it so long as they don't pass it off as their own and then sue me for infringement. Change it all you like, tell people you wrote it, sell it to someone else, I don't care. Maybe I'd have a paypal button in case anyone REALLY REALLY likes it.

    The important thing to me wouldn't be the works themselves, but the presence of an authentic English Gregorian Chant. The best thing to come of the project would be for someone to say "That idiot! I can do better than him!" and then do it. And maybe I'd do some light blogging, but in general I don't care which archbishop allows whom to commune where or what this or that bishop did about the EF in his diocese.

    Anyone itching for a resource like this, or would I just be wasting my time even more?
  • Gilbert
    Posts: 106
    Gee, sounds like a nice idea to me. Would you be doing just the Introits from the Graduale Romanum? Why the translation from the Anglican Use Gradual?
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Introits would be as assigned from the Gradual. I might expand it to communions, Alleluias, etc., but I find Introits the most interesting to work with. I would use the Anglican Use Gradual's translations because ICEL's are too far off from the Latin. I would enlist the aid of a Latinist, but the only one I know is likely too busy for this. My only other option would be to translate them myself, using the Douay as source material, but I don't trust my own skill with Latin. The Anglican Use Gradual, while using obsolete language, is the best source for English antiphon texts I know of. If you know of better, let me know.
  • Gilbert
    Posts: 106
    I didn't know there was an ICEL translation of the Roman Gradual. What about the translations in the Gregorian Missal, I think those are pretty good. Would it be too hard to get permission to use those? I haven't really looked at the Anglican Use Gradual. Maybe those are the best ones.
  • Maureen
    Posts: 674
    Sounds interesting to me.
  • musicmom
    Posts: 10
    Yes, I would be very interested. We are very new to all this in our parish, but singing the introits in English is something our pastor has expressed an interest in having. I just am never sure where to start. It would be WONDERFUL to have a resource like the one you suggest.

    I wish there was a translation of quality in between the archaic language of the Anglican Use Gradual, and the modern banality of the current texts, but I don't know of one. Sorry I can't be more help.
  • marymezzomarymezzo
    Posts: 236
    Heavens, yes.
    I'm trying to get a schola (b16schola.org) off the ground and am working with people who are new to chant. Of course, I want to be using chant from the Roman Gradual, but why not supplement with chant in English? It would make the task less daunting to newbies.
    If you go online with your project, I'll definitely be interested. Thanks for offering your work so generously.
    Mary
  • Mark P.
    Posts: 248
    It seems to me that an English version of at least the Gradual was done in the immediate post-Vatican II era. I'm talking the full propers--not psalm-tone versions. My shaky recollection has a Paulist priest from St. Paul in New York as an editor of this volume.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Ok the blog is up, but lacks real content. It's at: http://introibo-ad-altare.blogspot.com/

    Expect the first music within a week!
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I'm getting ready to start uploading, but I need help: what's a good file hosting system to use? I have PDFs to upload.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    1and1.com
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