Free Liturgical Music (Chant, Resp. Psalms, Alleluias, etc.)

[AntoineDaniel]

Friends,

These sites have more than 6,000 free scores, Mp3's, and practice videos, all based on "Cantus Gregorianus."

Hopefully, some of these pieces will be of value to your musical ministries :

http://jeandelalande.org/HOME/index.htm St. Jean de Lalande Library

http://antoinedanielmass.org/kyriale/ St. Antoine Daniel Kyriale

http://www.renegoupil.org/ GoupilChant.org

http://isaacjogues.org/chants/ JoguesChant.org

http://chabanelpsalms.org/responsorial_psalms.htm St. Noël Chabanel Psalms

http://garnieralleluias.org/ Garnier Alleluias

[musicus]

Thank you! It is always good to learn of new resources - not least when they are free!

[Southern Comfort]

Intending users need to be aware that the psalm translation used in the Chabanel psalms (and others available online) is the New American Bible version, which is far inferior to Grail. The responses are the ICEL responses, once again inferior to the responses used in the UK and Ireland lectionaries because they are independent of the psalm translation being used. In any case, none of these texts is approved for liturgical use in the British Isles.

[Hare]

Intending users need to be aware that the psalm translation used in the Chabanel psalms (and others available online) is the New American Bible version, which is far inferior to Grail. The responses are the ICEL responses, once again inferior to the responses used in the UK and Ireland lectionaries because they are independent of the psalm translation being used. In any case, none of these texts is approved for liturgical use in the British Isles.

Oh no! Shock, horror! I used the Chabanel psalm for the Dawn Mass on Christmas Day!! Where can I hide?? Help!! Southern Comfort will get me!!

[Mancunian]

I'd intended not to comment now that I'm no longer actively involved in liturgical music, but I feel obliged to chip in on this topic.
When I was directing a church choir I made a lot of use of the Chabanel psalms, but because I wanted to use the correct translation for England and Wales and was concerned that the congregation should not be confused by the psalm as sung differing from what was in the service sheet used in the parish I adapted the Chabanel psalms to take the correct England and Wales translation. This was not always possible, and sometimes took a good deal of work, but I still think that it was a worthwhile exercise. (I also learned a good deal about word setting in the process).
Several of the congregtion have subsequently said to me that they miss the sung psalms; my parish church now having reverted to the psalm being said or a 'suitable alternative song' being sung.
Although I prefer the Grail translation to the New American Bible, and would personally always use the Grail translation for the reasons given above, I don't see the latter as necessarily any worse than the paraphrases (or even completely different songs) that are often used in place of the correct translation for England and Wales.
I did mention to Jeff Ostrowski by email what I ws doing, and found him helpful and supportive, and I'm very grateful for what he has provided.

Mancunian

[musicus]

Oh no! Shock, horror! I used the Chabanel psalm for the Dawn Mass on Christmas Day!! Where can I hide?? Help!! Southern Comfort will get me!!

Well, I doubt that he will get you - even if he wanted to, hares will always outrun bottles - but he was quite right to remind us of the liturgical status of these pieces, so that we can take that into account (or not, as the case may be) when deciding if and when to use them. Ignorantia legis non excusat - but knowledge is better.

[AntoineDaniel]

Friends,

I'm not sure about England, but I can tell you in America that the Bishop has the power to grant approval to use whatever Psalm translation he wants. (acc. to the GIRM)

This has lead to . . . much confusion in America.

Sometimes people also play Resp. Psalms at Communion, and I feel that Chabanel Psalms could be used for this in England, no?

[Southern Comfort]

Friends,

I'm not sure about England, but I can tell you in America that the Bishop has the power to grant approval to use whatever Psalm translation he wants. (acc. to the GIRM)

This has lead to . . . much confusion in America.

Sometimes people also play Resp. Psalms at Communion, and I feel that Chabanel Psalms could be used for this in England, no?

(1)

Don't let the US BCDW hear you say this! They would not agree at all with your interpretation of GIRM 391:

391. It is up to the Conferences of Bishops to provide for the translations of the biblical texts
used in the celebration of Mass, exercising special care in this. For it is out of the Sacred Scripture
that the readings are read and explained in the homily and that psalms are sung, and it is drawing
upon the inspiration and spirit of Sacred Scripture that prayers, orations, and liturgical songs are
fashioned in such a way that from them actions and signs derive their meaning.

Nothing here about the diocesan bishop as far as regulating translations is concerned. And there was nothing in the US Appendix to the previous incarnations of GIRM either.

In any case, there is no way that any individual bishop in this country would ever contemplate giving approval to NAB as a translation, let alone for its psalter.

(2)

You might want to look at the threads that have taken place on this forum in recent times concerning the different natures of the Entrance and Communion Psalms on the one hand and the Responsorial Psalm on the other. They are not interchangeable, and musical settings should reflect their different purposes.

[Hare]

Apologies for going off slightly at a tangent here, but, as a matter of interest, what consequences can one realistically expect for using unapproved translations? (Apart from the wrath of the bottle?)

And, further to my having used a Chabanel psalm at the Dawn Mass, this was because I could not find a setting of the correct psalm and response in any "approved" English versions in my posession. Can anyone point me towards one please?

[docmattc]

You might want to look at the threads that have taken place on this forum in recent times concerning the different natures of the Entrance and Communion Psalms on the one hand and the Responsorial Psalm on the other. They are not interchangeable, and musical settings should reflect their different purposes.

Inded, but AntoineDaniel's suggestion is not without precedent. For instance, material in Psalite 'recycles' pieces for the responsorial psalm as communion and/or entrance antiphons (eg A73 A99 A127 B151) with only additional vereses to alter the musical setting from resp psalm to other antiphon. This collection also uses some responses which are neither in the US or UK lectionary, so, one would imagine, these are also covered by SC's warning about texts not approved for liturgical use.

[docmattc]

And, further to my having used a Chabanel psalm at the Dawn Mass, this was because I could not find a setting of the correct psalm and response in any "approved" English versions in my posession. Can anyone point me towards one please?

Gelineau has a setting in "Lectionary Psalms" (GIA G-5040) but this uses the Grail psalm and the (non-UK approved) US response, so won't satisfy purists.

[Southern Comfort]

CTM 140, 162, 213....?

[Hare]

CTM 140, 162, 213....?

IGNORANCE ALERT! I'm sure I should know what CTM is, but I'm afraid I don't.........

[docmattc]

IGNORANCE ALERT! I'm sure I should know what CTM is, but I'm afraid I don't.........

Celebrating the Mass

[Hare]

CTM 140, 162, 213....?

IGNORANCE ALERT! I'm sure I should know what CTM is, but I'm afraid I don't.........

Durr, says Hare! Sorry! I know about, and indeed psess, Celebrating The Mass, but for some reason I thought that Southern Comfort was answering my question as to where I could find approved settings of the Dawn Mass psalm, and that the numbers referred to a hymnbook called CTM! I shall quietly creep into a corner.