Psallité
Does anyone know about this collection?
It’s billed as responsorial music that embodies the Proper texts. I did check the “Song for the Table” (hrm - altar? table?) for Pentecost, and it’s a sharp departure from the Sacramentary and Gradual texts....
Just wondering if I have the right understanding of this collection?
posted by Cantor @ 9:15 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
I cannot say that I have investigated thoroughly the Psallite collection as found in Liturgical Press' Sacred Song 2006. It is said to be "based on the Liturgical Antiphons of the Church". I have found that the "Song for the Week, Song for the Word, and Song for the Table" are so shortened, changed, and reconfigured for one to connect them to the liturgical texts from the Gradual, the Roman Missal, or the Lectionary. This missalette was suggested by the good folks at St. John's Abbey for a simple way for parishes to sing/chant the liturgical texts rather than sing hymns in place of them.
I am not a music professional but I find their "By Flowing Waters" to be much easier to pick up and chant. If I remember correctly, my impressions would call this unofficial chant book a wedding of the Graduale Simplex and the NRSV translation (which we know to be theologically inadequate) of the Bible.
Again, I am not an expert, but my little experience led me to believe that the Graduale Romanum was not that substantially more difficult than the Graduale Simplex. I thought that there was something to be lost in using the Graduale Simplex. If someone can chant this recently created plainchant in Latin, why not use the traditional Graduale Romanum?
It is always good to see people working for the actual liturgical texts. By Flowing Waters does better than Psallite, but unfortunately, both come up short.
The antiphons and psalm texts of Psallate ARE those of Paul Fords' By Flowing Waters. They are mostly his own translations of the texts of the GS and adaptations of its melodies. The melodies of the GS come mostly from the repertoire of office antiphons to be found in the Antiphonale Romanum. They are are newly composed, but were borrowed for the Graduale Simplex - but not recently. I still want to know what is so wrong with the Grail psalms for all else but the lectionary texts. I can recommend the work of Fr. Sam Weber OSB in the recently rejuvenated efforts to provide adequate adaptations of the texts of the Graduale Romanum. He shares!
opps. they are NOT newly composed
http://www.adoremus.org/1005Musical.html
und-
http://www.adoremus.org/1205MusicalOffering.html
The Rev. Samuel F. Weber, OSB
Wake Forest University
The Divinity School, Box 7719
Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7719
Ph: 336.758.4289; E-mail webersf@wfu.edu
http://www.adoremus.org/1005Musical.html
und-
http://www.adoremus.org/1205MusicalOffering.html
The Rev. Samuel F. Weber, OSB
Wake Forest University
The Divinity School, Box 7719
Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7719
Ph: 336.758.4289; E-mail webersf@wfu.edu
A few thoughts to comments here:
By Flowing Waters is largely the same chants as are found in the Graduale Simplex, an official book of the Roman Rite. These chants were composed fairly recently; as I understand, the melodies were taken from authentic Gregorian sources. BFW, though, uses English texts and is not an official book, though had Ford chosen a more “kosher” Scripture translation, I think it might have gotten ecclesial approval.
The chants of the Graduale Romanum range from short and simple to VERY long and elaborate - check the tracts for Palm Sunday and 1st Lent and many of the graduals. The GS was intended, as far as I know, for “smaller churches”. ISTM that even large churches have the same quality of singers in the pews; ergo, the GS was not intended for congregational singing, though BFW’s notes suggest that it was.
“Psallité” has texts for each Sunday of Ordinary Time; ergo, it cannot be just different music for the same texts as “By Flowing Waters” - which, like the GS itself, does not contain propers for Ordinary Time. Psallité, though, does not always (ever?) match the Roman propers.
Just to correct the previous post in a small matter. Two or three years ago"By Flowing Waters" did gain approval from the USCCB to be used as a source for music at mass, but not as an official liturgical book.
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