Simple Choral Gradual

[gwyn]

This is a potentially useful resource...

http://www.musicasacra.com/books/simple ... radual.pdf

Food for thought. Apologies if someone's already flagged this up.

[mcb]

Have to say I hate it (having looked at it a few times before). The melodic lines insult the intelligence of any singing assembly and the whole thing is as dull as ditchwater. Sing more than one of those pieces in a six month period and you'd go mad from boredom.

[musicus]

I have to agree with mcb. The author both recognises this and offers a remedy: "Simple Choral Gradual uses two basic formulas for singing the verses, one each for major and minor keys. Both formulas may end either on the dominant or the mediant to ensure a smooth transition to the antiphon. This is a functional approach which may seem limiting to some choirs. The regularity of the cadences makes it possible to use other formulas of the same pattern. Choir directors should feel free to expand their repertoire of Psalm formulas and adapt those already used by their choirs." (my italics) That's all very well - and a lot of work, potentially - but perhaps the book should have aimed higher in the first place. Mainly stepwise melodies may be easy to sing, but difficult to listen to for any length of time. All my favourite chant-moments involve a leap, and a few such moments would have been welcome here.

Some will no doubt argue that easy-but-dull is better than not-at-all. I disagree.

[Nick Baty]

Agree with MCB – pretty grim and useless stuff.

[gwyn]

More than a little unfair Ithink chaps. A parish with limited resources and little experience of liturgical singing might use these to introduce the singing of the proper of the mass, after all, there are too many parishes to count that have only sung a hymn sarnie and have never heard a sung Introit or Graduale.

We (myself included) are often a little quick to savage a worthy victim. While this collection may seem banal to you and me, it might be the answer to prayer to those in other circumstances, perhaps serving as an appetite whetter, befroe later moving on to better things.

Heigh-ho!

[Nick Baty]

A parish with limited resources would find these rather difficult to sing. The melodies are totally unmemorable which means you'd have to read music to be able to sing them. (I write most of my stuff in the shower – I reckon that if I can still sing a refrain confidentally after drying off, using the BO basher, and dressing, then the assembly will be able to learn it easily.) But what do these pieces add to the liturgy? No much as far as I can see.

Take the Third Sunday of Easter (page 12), for example. Why sing this rather drab modal introit when you could have the assembly roar their way through Boulton-Smith's Shout all the world?

And then there's the whole question of "How proper is the proper"? Have a look through your Missal and you'll see that the antiphons given for Year A are the same in Years B and C. Looking at Sunday 17, this year the beginning of John's Eucharistic Gospel. If you have a choir who can manage the four parts, would they be better employed leading the assembly in Taizé's Eat This Bread?

And a parish which only has "a hymn sarnie" should, surely, be encouraged to move towards the absolute basics. Remember, the only things you have to sing, to start with, are the Gospel Greeting and Eucharistic Acclamations. (http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resourc ... nging.html) And if said parish can manage the music from the collection you cite, then they can easily manage the responsorial psalm sung every week to much more memorable music.

And I'm off ranting. And should really be in the shower so I have time to collect a double sausage and egg McMuffin on the way to college.