Patrick, I appreciate what you've done for sacred music. The accompaniment videos (not an organist, but I appreciate accompanied chant very much…) and the chironomy ones are helpful to me As someone who sings weekly sung Mass, plus all of the major feasts: I don't understand a lot of the choices. (I'm also fine with being one of those for whom this book isn't a good fit!) This might seem minor and petty, but currently, our situation has allowed me to reflect on what I would want versus what we need, and I do a lot of typesetting. I'm much more adept with chant than Musescore (and I just copy whatever's in front of me, so I don't always follow the best conventions per se…). So I don't think that it is. The book wants to be one book for a TLM congregation, which is fine, and I think that it's good that it's not a missal. That's good. But it's not "just a hymnal" with such a big kyriale etc. The most solemn tone of the preface is so rarely used, but I know for a fact that there are multiple churches in the US (certainly Institute churches, following their seminary's custom) and my own, which use the ad lib tones of the Asperges. All of the Credos are included, as they're in the Kyriale. As it happens, I happen to like the du Mont masses, so I'm happy that they're included, but not including the ad lib chants doesn't make sense by the same token. (I could be misunderstanding something, but I see that it jumps from Mass XVIII to the other complete masses to the Credos…) I also agree with the idea that there's a lot of vernacular hymnody but not enough chant, even if there is quite a bit. I see in the index that there is a lot, I think borrowed from Cantus Selecti (I imagine that this is how they get to, e.g. 4 versions of Panis Angelicus in chant) which is great, and I think that the idea of reducing the number of books is good, certainly in the case of having one hymnal for all parties versus a melody edition, a choir edition, and an organist's edition. I'm not sure it's as true when it comes to having a chant book (or books…) versus a hymnal, and the choices of hymns, well, you only have so many if you're going to have more chant (and different versions of melodies for both chant or vernacular texts…). Placing the Marian antiphons away from the ordinary is not a user-friendly choice IMHO. I gotta say though that it is disappointing to see the chant typesetting. It's not good. Sorry. I know that the alignment is going to be looked at, but it looks off in other ways; the very large flat e.g. in Kyrie XI is jarring compared to the chant that everyone else is used to (Vaticana, Solesmes, Gregorio - to include the Caeciliae font that became the Gregorio font). This is truly minor: is the Tota Pulcra es Dom Pothier's hymn? It's a good example of something that should be disambiguated… Anyway, despite the difficulty of acquiring it in bulk, perhaps the best solution for me is to print our own Kyriale and pair it with Cantus Selecti plus the hymns of our choice. Re: the common tones, ironically, you sing the Amen per the official books, which virtually no one does; they conflate it with the Amen before the Pater and before the Pax Domini.¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, I wish everyone involved the best, and maybe I'll change my mind on it by the time that it's actually printed or if a second edition comes out.
No worries, you’re as entitled as anyone to your opinions and preferences! As someone who’s served as a professional singer, organist, and choirmaster, my opinion is that this is an excellent hymnal. You, however, are quite free to disagree! Though I’d still encourage you to get your hands on a copy when it’s printing and give it a fair shake. Cheers!
***11/4/2024 UPDATE: Hymnals now in stock and available for order! Visit osjustipress.com/ or email info@catholichymnal.com to order.***
Wonderful! Thank you Patrick!
OUTSTANDING HYMNAL! Excellent presentation, Paaaaaaaaaatrick!!
Great video. Very informative. Thank you.
I miss Rick. Can’t we get him back??
Patrick, I appreciate what you've done for sacred music. The accompaniment videos (not an organist, but I appreciate accompanied chant very much…) and the chironomy ones are helpful to me
As someone who sings weekly sung Mass, plus all of the major feasts: I don't understand a lot of the choices. (I'm also fine with being one of those for whom this book isn't a good fit!) This might seem minor and petty, but currently, our situation has allowed me to reflect on what I would want versus what we need, and I do a lot of typesetting. I'm much more adept with chant than Musescore (and I just copy whatever's in front of me, so I don't always follow the best conventions per se…). So I don't think that it is. The book wants to be one book for a TLM congregation, which is fine, and I think that it's good that it's not a missal. That's good. But it's not "just a hymnal" with such a big kyriale etc.
The most solemn tone of the preface is so rarely used, but I know for a fact that there are multiple churches in the US (certainly Institute churches, following their seminary's custom) and my own, which use the ad lib tones of the Asperges. All of the Credos are included, as they're in the Kyriale. As it happens, I happen to like the du Mont masses, so I'm happy that they're included, but not including the ad lib chants doesn't make sense by the same token. (I could be misunderstanding something, but I see that it jumps from Mass XVIII to the other complete masses to the Credos…)
I also agree with the idea that there's a lot of vernacular hymnody but not enough chant, even if there is quite a bit. I see in the index that there is a lot, I think borrowed from Cantus Selecti (I imagine that this is how they get to, e.g. 4 versions of Panis Angelicus in chant) which is great, and I think that the idea of reducing the number of books is good, certainly in the case of having one hymnal for all parties versus a melody edition, a choir edition, and an organist's edition. I'm not sure it's as true when it comes to having a chant book (or books…) versus a hymnal, and the choices of hymns, well, you only have so many if you're going to have more chant (and different versions of melodies for both chant or vernacular texts…).
Placing the Marian antiphons away from the ordinary is not a user-friendly choice IMHO.
I gotta say though that it is disappointing to see the chant typesetting. It's not good. Sorry. I know that the alignment is going to be looked at, but it looks off in other ways; the very large flat e.g. in Kyrie XI is jarring compared to the chant that everyone else is used to (Vaticana, Solesmes, Gregorio - to include the Caeciliae font that became the Gregorio font).
This is truly minor: is the Tota Pulcra es Dom Pothier's hymn? It's a good example of something that should be disambiguated…
Anyway, despite the difficulty of acquiring it in bulk, perhaps the best solution for me is to print our own Kyriale and pair it with Cantus Selecti plus the hymns of our choice.
Re: the common tones, ironically, you sing the Amen per the official books, which virtually no one does; they conflate it with the Amen before the Pater and before the Pax Domini.¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, I wish everyone involved the best, and maybe I'll change my mind on it by the time that it's actually printed or if a second edition comes out.
No worries, you’re as entitled as anyone to your opinions and preferences! As someone who’s served as a professional singer, organist, and choirmaster, my opinion is that this is an excellent hymnal. You, however, are quite free to disagree! Though I’d still encourage you to get your hands on a copy when it’s printing and give it a fair shake. Cheers!