Trying the new texts

[Nick Baty]

At choir practice tonight, we tried out the new texts: three sets of Acclamations and two Glorias. The idea was for me to see which settings people sang most easily, as well as which they liked. (One of the Glorias was more or less chucked out – or "thrun", as they say in North Liverpool – straight away!)

Being a fairly democratic bunch, between us we've decided which order we'll introduce things. We should have three sets of acclamations in the repertoire by Christmas and hope to add two or three more in 2012. It was generally agreed that we can manage with five or six settings for a year or two, so we'll let them bed-in before we trying building up the repertoire.

This is all by-the-bypass – what really interested me was that, even with the scores in front of them, our parish singers kept singing "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of power....." instead of "hosts". The present text is obviously ingrained.

I've said on other threads that I believe the music would carry the words. After tonight's experience, I feel I must withdraw earlier comments.

I'd be interested to know how other people are getting on.

[gedcap]

I've had more success with totally new Mass settings rather than revised settings - the revised are just too close to the older version and that's when auto-pilot kicks in.
G.

[musicus]

Welcome to the forum, gedcap.

[docmattc]

This is all by-the-bypass – what really interested me was that, even with the scores in front of them, our parish singers kept singing "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of power....." instead of "hosts". The present text is obviously ingrained.

Slightly tangential to the topic, but I wonder why we translated 'Sabaoth' at all. The Latin text is content to avoid translation and stick to the Hebrew. In the first round of translation, we didn't translate the other Hebrew words (Hosanna, Alleluia, Amen) in the liturgy, so why this one?

[Nick Baty]

the revised are just too close to the older version and that's when auto-pilot kicks in.

Totally agree, Gedcap. And we won't be using any revised settings. Apart from the auto=pilot, were were due a change anyway. We'd been singing the same six settings for 4–6years.

I wonder why we translated 'Sabaoth' at all.

And I agree with you, too, DocMatt. But we have to get on with it.

[auchincruive]

I'm new to the forum but am looking for help in any shape or form as I'm getting very anxious about the introduction of the new text. I belong to a small parish and am a (poor to) average organist who tries to keep the singing the mass going on a Sunday even though we have no established choir, just a handful of loyal singers who turn up regularly. I hope that the coming of the new translation wont cause us to give up sing the mass each week, but it could. Would people like to share with us the new settings which went down well? I understand you might not want to name the ones which didn't go down well but some info from folks like you on good, easy-to-learn settings would be a great help to folk like me.

[musicus]

Welcome to the forum, auchincruive. I am sure that people here will be able to help, especially when the first published settings begin to appear. That is supposed to be in March, but that might prove to be a little optimistic. Meanwhile, quite a few settings are doing the rounds, in workshops and suchlike, so reports could start drifting in soon.

[Nick Baty]

I wouldn't get too stressed, Auchincruive – I hope the priest coped with that superb name at your baptism! There's plenty of time.

New settings may be published in March. They may be sung from Easter and should be sung from September, possibly Advent, depending on how you interpret the various instructions which are floating around. Some on here think we'll be able to sing the present texts until some time in 2012. So there's plenty of time to build up the repertoire.

I think planning is they key: decide what you'd like to use and when is a good time to introduce it.

In our parish, we're looking at having three sets of acclamations on the go by Christmas but then rotating them throughout 2012 to give them time to bed in. I'd much rather have just three sets which the parish feels comfortable with than be more adventurous and stop them singing! Set Number 4 is due to be introduced in Advent 2012 – and then sung that Christmas with the addition of various harmonies – set Number 5 won't come in until Lent 2013.

We're only introducing one Gloria for now – from Easter, Week 3, this year. Temporarily, we'll use the old and new (2008) Lourdes Glorias as both have chanted verses and, therefore fit almost any translation you care to throw at them!

[auchincruive]

Thanks for the advice. I feel calmer. There just seems so much music coming out at the moment from USA and more when the English bishops meet, I'm not sure where to start in sifting through and choosing settings for our small group of singers to start on. Short reviews/comments on some of the settings like 'needs a competent organist' or 'best sung by a full choir' or 'can be learnt in a couple of evenings' would be really useful.

[Nick Baty]

Yes, I agree with you there.
Musicus, what say you to some sort of short review service on here?
Perhaps, come March, we could have a new topic, listing what's available and where to get it.
Then parish musicians could add comments about how useful they consider them to be.
I'm sure there will be reviews in Music & Liturgy but I expect space will be limited.

[musicus]

... Musicus, what say you to some sort of short review service on here? Perhaps come March, we could have a new topic, listing what's available and where to get it.
Then parish musicians could add comments about how useful they consider them to be.
I'm sure there will be reviews in Music & Liturgy but I expect space will be limited.

Yes, and, being a quarterly publication, insufficiently responsive to a rapidly changing situation. docmattc and I are already in discussion about this question. We have to be careful to not open the floodgates of commercialism, while at the same time providing a useful service. It may be that independent reviewers (i.e. not the composers or their publishers) and a dedicated space on the website are called for. Watch this space.

[contrabordun]

I suggest you let the commercial floodgates open, but on the conditions (a) that interests are openly declared and (b) that comments (being within this Board's generally courteous, dispassionate and honest traditions) may be added, which may not be favourable to the composers/publishers. It would easily be understood that neither the SSG nor the Forum management were endorsing such settings as might be advertised.

In effect, let this forum be available as a shop window: this will save at least some of us a little time and trouble and, more importantly, increases the chances that less-well-known and less-well-funded composers and publishers will cross our radars. (I'm thinking you might have a lot of submissions for your independent reviewing team, at least some of whom may have their own offerings to further complicate the picture).

[Nick Baty]

Or, perhaps, somewhere in the middle. Parish musicians could list the settings they're using and how well they're going. It won't be difficult to find lists of what's available: Much more useful to know how well something works with in the parish.

I'm thinking of something along the lines of "We're using the acclamations from Fred Flat's Mass of St Kylie and the assembly picked them up in a few minutes. Can be led by choir and organ, or by flute and guitar – useful for us as we have alternating music groups. We're avoiding the Gloria though – too long-winded and repetitive."

[Nick Baty]

docmattc and I are already in discussion about this question... Watch this space.

Just wondering if this has progressed at all, Musicus.

New settings can be published from 27 April so, presumably, plenty have been tried and tested hither and yon, even if just in rehearsal time. Who's tried what? How has it gone? How was it received?