Views from the Choir Loft

Mass of the Angels | Congregational Mass Setting in English

Richard J. Clark · April 11, 2014

ASS OF THE ANGELS is based on the popular and familiar Missa VIII (De angelis), which was the standard chant Mass sung in many parishes immediately prior to Vatican II. It includes Gospel acclamations and the Credo using the familiar incipit from Credo III. It is set for cantor, congregation and optional SATB choir. This setting may also be sung in unison with cantor or schola.

• It is available exclusively through CanticaNOVA Publications.
• For ordering details click here.
• PDF samples are available here.
• See below for YouTube recordings.

Adam Wood calls it “one of the best congregational settings of the new texts.” Furthermore, the mass was influenced by Theodore Marier and Richard Proulx in two areas:

• I wanted to adapt these beautiful chant melodies in an accessible manner and to be mostly in English.

• That the piece could translate well liturgically, whether in the grand setting of a choir of forty with a fifty rank organ of French Romantic design in a European acoustic OR with the austerity of an eight rank organ and a single voice or unison schola

Here are some sample recordings by the St. Cecilia Choir, Boston with the 1999 Smith & Gilbert Organ.

      YouTube:  Penitential Act C | Kyrie
      YouTube:  Gloria (Refrain version)
      YouTube:  Gloria (Through-composed/cantor version)
      YouTube:  Gospel Acclamations (Alleluia and Lenten options)
      Credo (response in Latin)
      YouTube:  Sanctus
      Mystery of Faith A, B, C
      Amen
      YouTube:  Agnus Dei

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!

A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!

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“Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)

I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Pope Pius XII Hymnal?

Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Hybrid” Chant Notation?

Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

Antiphons Don’t Match?

A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).

—Corpus Christi Watershed