High Notes in Hymnals

Ideally, liturgical music reinforces prayer. Good music alone holds many layers of associated meanings; when combined with sacred text and integrated within larger liturgical action, the musical experience can transform the soul at its deepest level.

Given the importance of music, it is not surprising that liturgical hymnody is a source of endless debate. In fact, today’s controversy regarding music in the liturgy is nothing new: The entire history of the Church reveals a constant concern for the shape and sound of her public worship. Natural human creativity constantly explores, presses, and tests; the Church performs the task of discerning the good in these new forms.

This discernment process has created a body of sacred music that has been the backbone of Western culture and a living, enduring testimony to faith. The process, however, has not always been a smooth one. During our own time, the pressure of the commercial music industry threatens to turn sacred music into a trite commodity.

The documents of the Second Vatican Council include requirements for a more comprehensive approach to the liturgy regarding language, music, and congregational participation. Implementing the council’s Constitution on the Liturgy, the Instruction of the Congregation of Rites on Music in the Liturgy establishes the principal norms for sacred music. This document should be required reading for every pastor and music director. A single reading of it can dispel most of the misunderstandings that have contributed to the dismal state of music in so many parishes.

Thirty years after the council, we need to go back to the Instruction and begin where it says to—with the priest. The document clearly states that liturgical preparation “should be done in a spirit of cooperation under the guidance of the rector.” Good liturgical music begins with the pastor. In order to build a solid music program, the pastor must play a constructive and cooperative role in the decision-making process. His place at the center of the liturgy gives him this responsibility.

The primary role of the priest, however, is not administrative but liturgical. The priest sets the example for the congregation and establishes the tone of the liturgy.

The Instruction outlines three degrees of participation for a sung Mass. The first degree consists of the priest’s greeting and the reply of the people. All of the dialogical sections between the celebrant and the congregation included in the Sacramentary are part of the first degree: opening prayer, acclamations at the Gospel, prayer over the gifts, preface with its dialogue and Sanctus, Doxology, Lord’s prayer, Pax Domini, prayer after Communion, and the formulas of dismissal. According to the document, the second and third degrees are never to be used without the first. Congregational participation begins with the interaction of the priest and the faithful; this is the heart of liturgical music. If this core is not in place, congregational singing cannot flourish.

Once the first degree is in place, the second degree (the rest of the Ordinary, creed, and prayers of the faithful) can be added. Only at this point should the third degree, including songs or hymns, be introduced into the liturgy. If hymns are to be used, they should be part of an organic whole, one that has as its basis the fundamental corporate worship set forth in the first and second degrees and that together are known as the Proper of the Mass. Vatican II does, of course, allow hymns to replace portions of the Proper. Hymnody has a long tradition in the Church, but unfortunately not all hymns are created equal.

Some of the current liturgical music used in parishes is not necessarily bad music, it is just unsuitable for the liturgy. Sweet songs with long, disjointed melodies and vague rhythms simply cannot be sung by large groups of people. Congregational singing should consist of chant (in Latin or the vernacular), accessible arrangements of the first and second degrees, and hymns with broad structure and solid rhythms. German chorales are perfect examples of just such hymns.

Hymnals

There are many hymnals available for those who wish to bring better music to their parish. The following include good musical selections set out in a clear, well-designed manner:

The newly published Adoremus Hymnal consists of three sections: the Order of the Mass in Latin and English with musical settings for the dialogical acclamations between celebrant and congregation written in Chant notation; musical settings for the Ordinary (also Latin and English); and approximately 160 hymns. Ignatius Press: P.O. Box 1339; Ft. Collins, Colorado 80522; 800-651-1531.

Worship III contains music for the Mass and for the Divine Office. It has more than 400 hymns and includes the Gelineau psalm-tones, which are appropriate for the responsorial psalms and quite beautiful. GIA Publications: 7404 S. Mason Ave.; Chicago, Illinois 60638; 800-GIA-1358.

The Summit Hymnal, impressively compiled and presented by the Dominican Nuns of the Cross, offers a body of English hymnody with a contemplative feel. All selections are written in four-part arrangements or with accompaniment. They are arranged in sections for the Church year and for solemnities, feasts, and memorials of individual saints. Included are both traditional and lesser-known hymns and a few arrangements of chants. Dominican Nuns of the Holy Cross: 543 Springfield Ave.; Summit, New Jersey 07901; 908-273-1228.

The Paraclete Press offers editions of Latin chant, including the Graduale Romanum (settings of the Ordinary and Proper throughout the year), Gregorian Missal (Ordinary and Propers for Sundays), and Liber Cantualis (selection of a few Ordinaries, hymns and antiphons), can be used to supplement any music program. The Liber Cantualis is an excellent resource for choirs beginning to learn chant.

In addition, the Catalogue of Sacred Music offers a comprehensive selection of choral and organ music of great masters of the past and celebrated contemporary composers (Richard Proulx, Anthony Caeser, Gerre Hancock, Bruce Neswick), arrangements of American Hymns from the 18th and 19th centuries and collections from the Slavic sacred choral heritage. Paraclete Press: P.O. Box 1568; Hilltop Plaza; Orleans, Massachusetts 02653; 800-4515006; www.paraclete-press.com.

The Plainsong Psalter, edited by James Litton, contains all 150 psalms in English chant settings. Also available are gradual psalms for entire year. Both consist of Anglican plainchant and are quite useful as resources for English chant. Church Publishing Inc.: 445 Fifth Ave.; New York, New York 10016; 800-242-1918; [email protected].

Also available are Responsorial Psalms for the Sundays of the three-year cycle written by Irish composer Fintan O’Carroll. Veritas; 7-8 Lower Abbey St.; Dublin 1, Ireland.

The church choir serves both to support congregational singing and to represent the assembly. Certainly, the hymnals mentioned above contain settings of the Ordinary for congregational use. However, sometimes for special occasions a choir can sing a more elaborate setting of all or part of the Ordinary. A discerning use of high-quality choral music can enhance worship and contribute to the overall solemnity and majesty of the liturgy. It must be remembered that liturgical music is a living art form, one that functions as a connection with our heritage and as a means of contemporary expression. With this in mind, the following is a partial list of less-familiar choral music, to complement works by more well-known composers such as Mozart, Haydn, Rubbra, and Palestrina. Any collection must necessarily be selective. It is hoped that this listing will inspire further investigation on the part of music directors.

Masses

William Byrd

Mass for Three Voices                                                                    ECS

Mass for Four Voices

Mass for Five Voices

Maurice Durufle

Messe cum Jubilo                                                                              Durand S.A., dist. by Theodore Presser

Requiem

Gabriel Faure

Requiem, op. 48                                                                                Hinshaw Music

Andre Gouzes

The Rangueil Mass (fully sung dialogue Mass)                    GIA Publications

Hans Hassler

Missa Secunda                                                                                   Breitkopf & Haertel, dist. by Elkin Music Int.

Hovland

Missa Misericordia                                                                           Plymouth

Herbert Howells

An English Mass                                                                                Novello, dist. by Music Sales Corp.

McCabe

Mass for the New Rite                                                                     Hinshaw Music

Nystedt

Missa Brevis                                                                                       Robertson, dist. by Theodore Presser

Fintan O’Carroll

Mass of the Angels                                                                           Kevin O’Carroll

Missa Salve Regina

Mass of the Immaculate Conception

Mass of the Annunciation

C. A. Peloquin

Festival Mass                                                                                    GIA Publications

Mass for Joy

Mass of the Bells

Lyric Liturgy

L. Perosi

Mass for Three Voices                                                                   G. Schirmer, dist. by Hal Leonard

Francis Poulenc

Mass in G Major                                                                              Salabert, dist. by G.Schirmer/Hal Leonard

Richard Proulx

Community Mass                                                                            GIA Publications

Mass for the City

Mass to the Redeemer

Josef Rheinberger

Mass in C, op. 169                                                                            Kalmus, dist. by CPP/Belwin

Missa in Nativitate Domini, op. 126

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Mass in G Minor                                                                               Hal Leonard

Hector Villa-Lobos

Missa Sao Sebastiao                                                                      G. Schirmer, dist. by Hal Leonard

Motets and Sacred Pieces

Felice Anerio

Christus factus est                                                                           ECS

John Ness Beck

A Hymn to God the Father                                                           Beckenhorst

Benjamin Britten

Ceremony of Carols                                                                        Boosey & Hawkes

William Byrd

Ave verum corpus                                                                           ECS

Be Unto Me O Lord                                                                          Arista

Sacerdotes Domini                                                                          Oxford University Press

Aaron Copland

Four Motets                                                                                       Broude Bros. Ltd.

Rinaldo Del Mel

O Jesu Christe                                                                                    GIA Publications

Josquin des Prez

Ave vera virginitas                                                                          GIA Publications

Ave verum corpus                                                                            Bourne

Tu solus qui facis mirabilia                                                           G. Schirmer

Distler

Lo How a Rose                                                                                   Concordia

Maurice Durufle

Notre Pere                                                                                           Durand S.A., dist. by Theodore Presser

Quatre Motets sur des themes Gregoriens

Gabriel Faure

Cantique de Jean Racine                                                                 Broude Bros.

Orlando Gibbons

O Lord Increase My Faith                                                              ECS

Andre Gouzes

A Sunday Vigil (fully sung setting of the Vigil Office)        GIA Publications

Hans Hassler

Cantate Domino                                                                               ECS

Gustav Holst

Turn Back O Man                                                                             Galaxy Music Corp., dist. by ECS

Heinrich Issac

O Esca Viatorum                                                                              GIA Publications

Carolyn Jennings

Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain                            Curtis Music

Zoltan Kodaly

Pange lingua                                                                                     Universal Edition

Sven Lekberg

Fragrant the Prayer                                                                        Broude Bros.

Antonio Lotti

Sanctus                                                                                                Golden Music, dist. by Theodore Presser

Kenneth Mahy

The Lamb (text, William Blake)                                                   National Music

Mangon

Ave Maria                                                                                           Plymouth

Morales

All Ye Who Pass By                                                                          Theodore Presser

Olivier Messiaen

O sacrum convivium                                                                       Durand S.A.

Nystedt

Four Liturgical Songs                                                                      Morning Star

Walter Pelz, ed.

Coventry Carol                                                                                  Augsburg

Daniel Pinkham

Canticle of Praise                                                                             ECS

Christmas Cantata                                                                          Robert King Music

Giuseppe O. Pitoni

Agnus Dei from Requiem                                                              European American

Francis Poulenc

Gloria                                                                                                    Salabert, dist. by G. Schirmer/Hal Leonard

O Magnum Mysterium

John Rutter

Candlelight Carol                                                                             Oxford University Press

How Firm a Foundation

Shepherd’s Pipe Carol

C. Saint-Saens

Christmas Oratorio                                                                         G. Schirmer, dist. by Hal Leonard

Fernando Sor

O Crux, Ave Spes Unica                                                                 Tecla Editions

J. P. Sweelinck

Hodie Christus Natus Est                                                               Theodore Presser

Thomas Tallis

If Ye Love Me                                                                                     Novello

O Sacrum Convivium                                                                      Oxford University Press

C. R. Thoburn

Blessed Be That Maid Marie                                                        Concordia

There Is No Rose of Such Virtue                                                 H.W. Gray, dist. by CPP/Belwin

Randall Thompson

Alleluia                                                                                                 ECS

Thomas Tomkins

When David Heard                                                                          G. Schirmer, dist. by Hal Leonard

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Festival Te Deum                                                                              Oxford Univ. Press

O Taste and See

Sancta Civitas                                                                                    Curwen, dist. by G. Schirmer/Hal Leonard

T. L de Vittoria

Agnus Dei                                                                                            European American

Ave Maria                                                                                           Broude Bros.

Laudate Dominum                                                                          CPP/Belwin

O Magnum Mysterium                                                                  ECS

Nobis Datus

O Vos Omnes

Vere Languores Nostros

Viadana

Exsultate justi                                                                                    Concordia

F. X. Witt

De profundis                                                                                      Arista

Woollen

The Lord Is My True Shepherd (Psalm 23)                           World Library

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