Another style of Responsorial Psalm
In a post a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the style of Psalm settings often used in some larger, more prominent churches, in which the first half of the Psalm versicle is sung in basic chant by a semichoir, followed by the second half sung to a more complex tone in harmony.
Today I will blog here on another style of Psalm setting, and we sang this style last weekend. That is the "one-beat-per-bar" setting. In the 1950's and 1960's, Père Joseph Gelineau (1920-2008, no relation to our former bishop that I know of), a Jesuit priest from France, wrote settings of the Psalms in his native French, incorporating musical settings that were meant to be sung "one-beat-per-bar". These settings were later used for English translations of the Psalms from The Grail. One of the most popular Gelineau Psalms is used mainly for funeral Masses, Psalm 23: My shepherd is the Lord, nothing indeed shall I want. These Psalms are found, on the most part, in the red Worship hymnal that we use, in the back half of the hymnal, with the readings. When I post such a setting, and it's in Worship, I post the number here.
This Sunday's Psalm setting (Psalm 126), though not one-beat-per-bar (it's more chant-like), is by Alfred Calabrese. The versicles begin with a melody similar to last Sunday's Gelineau Psalm. The response begins with a melody resembling the Advent chant, Conditor Alme Siderum (Creator of the Stars of Night).
MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS
Sung Ordinary of the Mass and Alleluia: same as previous few weeks (final week)
All numbers given are in the red Worship hymnal.
Entrance hymn: Holy, holy, holy, #485
Psalm 126: The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy, music by Alfred Calabrese
Offertory hymn: Your hands, O Lord, in days of old, #750
Communion anthem: O that I had a thousand voices, tune: Metzner.
- Though being sung as a choir anthem, you may join in. It's in Worship, #546.
Meditation hymn: Mary, how lovely the light of your glory, #711
- The tune, Chance, is composed by Colin Mawby, who wrote this absolutely gorgeous setting of the Ave Verum. This piece, for your listening pleasure, is performed by the choir of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, Utah (they are to the west as St. Paul's in Cambridge, MA, is to the east, in terms of having a top notch choir school).
Recessional hymn: Sing praise to the Lord, #539
Peace,
BMP
