Psallite Mass "At the Table of the Lord"

[Mithras]

At St Peter's in Cardiff we have been using this seting by the Collegeville Composers Group for a couple of months and it has ben received very favourably by choir congregation and clergy. It is a setting which contains simple music though of some beauty, and I think congratulations and thanks should go the the writers of this compilation. I wonder if any other parishes have used it? I hope so!

M

[Peter]

Yes, we used it in my church from Day 1 of the new translation, as a setting easy to pick up and sing from the word go and one that would be known in both churches in the parish. More recently we have introduced other settings but we will be reverting to it during Lent (as something plainer and more solemn than the ones we've used more recently) and also for such services in the Triduum that we are hosting plus Easter Sunday (as we have a lot of visitors then and so want something that is generally known and easily picked up by those who don't know it).

[nazard]

For those not familiar with the Psallite Mass, you can look at it here:

Psalite mass review copy

I'm not much taken with it, myself.

[gwyn]

It seems somewhat lack-lustre.

[Nick Baty]

I rather like the Gloria. The Sanctus less so.

[MaryR]

I like the Gloria. We have been using it in our parish since September. We began by singing it in unison for quite a few weeks and then added the harmonies. This has helped it to become well established. It's not a 'big' Gloria, but it sounds good in parts, unaccompanied.

We've not used the other parts of the Mass, though we have been singing the Gospel Acclamation to the tune of the Gloria which works well.

[docmattc]

but it sounds good in parts

In a curate's egg sense, or in a harmonic sense?

[mcb]

I rather like the Gloria.

We've used the Gloria too, and it's a setting that our congregation took to very quickly. One of the opportunities that have come along with the new translation is the chance to plant some musical settings of the Mass ordinary that don't require too much in the way of musical leadership, that is, can be sung by the congregation in the absence of cantor, choir, even organist. I think this is one like that, but it also sounds good with the vocal harmonies and organ accompaniment.

Like Nick, I'm not so taken with the rest of the setting, but the Gloria, for my money, is better than the one in Chris Walker's Belmont Mass. So we've tried mixing the two together - Psallite Gloria and the rest from the Belmont Mass.

[Peter]

Perhaps I should have been more specific in my earlier post: we've used the Gloria, Eucharistic Acclamations and Agnus Dei from this Mass but not the other sections. We rarely sing a penitential rite and when we do the priest intones it spontaneously.

I looked at the Lenten Gospel Acclamations recently, but they bear no relation to the acclamations given in the Lectionary. How much leeway is permissible in what to say or sing for the Gospel Acclamations and, for that matter, for the Responsorial Psalm? My PP has recently instructed me to ensure that the ones we sing are exactly as in the Lectionary (or at least with no deviation greater than the Panel would allow for settings of the Ordinary).

[Southern Comfort]

For those not familiar with the Psallite Mass, you can look at it here:

Psalite mass review copy

I'm not much taken with it, myself.

It's worth saying that what is in the review copy is only a proportion of the content. There is much more material in the full edition.

[gwyn]

As a Gloria it wouldn't have inspired the shepherd in me to leave my flocks to go anywhere at all.

[Southern Comfort]

I looked at the Lenten Gospel Acclamations recently, but they bear no relation to the acclamations given in the Lectionary. How much leeway is permissible in what to say or sing for the Gospel Acclamations and, for that matter, for the Responsorial Psalm? My PP has recently instructed me to ensure that the ones we sing are exactly as in the Lectionary (or at least with no deviation greater than the Panel would allow for settings of the Ordinary).

The Lectionary states quite clearly that the phrases suggested for Gospel Acclamations in Lent are only examples of what might be used. (Think "these or similar words".) Similarly, the response to the psalm may always be adapted for the purposes of singing.

[NorthernTenor]

I looked at the Lenten Gospel Acclamations recently, but they bear no relation to the acclamations given in the Lectionary. How much leeway is permissible in what to say or sing for the Gospel Acclamations and, for that matter, for the Responsorial Psalm? My PP has recently instructed me to ensure that the ones we sing are exactly as in the Lectionary (or at least with no deviation greater than the Panel would allow for settings of the Ordinary).

The Lectionary states quite clearly that the phrases suggested for Gospel Acclamations in Lent are only examples of what might be used. (Think "these or similar words".) Similarly, the response to the psalm may always be adapted for the purposes of singing.

The permissible and good practice in the generality are not necessarily the same thing. We have a liturgical tradition of prayer and belief. Central to that is a degree of uniformity, of shared use of the received. Rather than jumping at the opportunity to do something different, it may be better to consider the point at which doing our own thing begins to alienate us from the tradition.

As to the musical settings: I feel they're a curate's egg. Some parts are better than the average fare from before the new translation, if a little uninteresting. Others seem to be an act of self indulgence by the composer. The compound rhythm of the linked Lenten Acclamation refrain is a case in point: it will be difficult for a congregation to sing and it fails to reflect the character of the season.

[Nick Baty]

My PP has recently instructed me to ensure that the ones we sing are exactly as in the Lectionary.

As SC has pointed out, there's quite a but of leeway. The suggested verses suffer the same problem as other antiphons: they work on a repeated one-year cycle.

The first Sunday of Lent is a good example. Each year, the prescribed verse is “Man does not live on bread alone...” and this fits well with years A and C. But this year, Year B, the message is clearly “The Kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Good News”. And that's what we'll be singing in our small community.

[alan29]

The notation used is curious...... are note values strict, totally free, proportional? Why are there dotted notes, for example, and what is the value of the dot?