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Views from the Choir Loft

Unified Repertoire | Piano, Guitar, and Organ Accompaniments for the ICEL Chants

Richard J. Clark · July 11, 2014

N 2011, IN PREPARATION for the implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal, I was busy giving workshops on “Singing the Mass” with Fr. Jonathan Gaspar, the Director of the Office of Divine Worship in Boston. We traveled around the Archdiocese, visiting several parishes. We sang through the new ICEL Chants, and touched upon topics both musical and liturgical. The idea of “singing the mass” was foreign to many. The idea of singing chant was even more foreign, no less unaccompanied! But the good people who came were open minded and eager to learn.

BUT WHAT WAS TRULY A DIVIDE were the many piano/guitar-based ensembles that felt left in the dark. You see, in Boston, the use of the ICEL chants was to be exclusive for a time. No other setting could be used in the time leading up and for a time after the implementation. So to help bridge that gap, I arranged a few piano/guitar accompaniments and distributed them for free for anyone who requested them.

Now, a few years later, I am discovering that a number of piano/guitar-based* groups are still singing the ICEL Chants of The Roman Missal, Third Edition from time to time. *(Note that I am avoiding the term “contemporary ensemble”. I dislike that term along with a casual use of the word “traditional.” The guitar is as ancient as the organ. There is traditional music of all styles. All music written today is contemporary. These generalizations are all very silly.)

HE IDEA OF THE ICEL CHANTS of The Roman Missal, was to have a common musical repertoire among seventeen English speaking countries around the world. That covers much of the Earth! As such, if the ICEL chants are sung from time to time at all masses in a parish, it fosters unity within that parish. This can be a pragmatic advantage as well as a spiritual one, as that parish becomes more united in prayer with much of the world. Furthermore, it helps a parish avoid being multiple (and separate) communities under the same roof. Therefore, below are three useful resources:

1 • These piano/guitar arrangements are written stylistically for those not used to singing chant and modal music. There are also some editorial adjustments to assist in timing and breathing.

      * *  ICEL Chants | Piano, Guitar Accompaniments | Richard Clark • Roman Missal, Third Edition

2 • Exceedingly useful are the Chants from the Order of Mass by Charles Thatcher, published by World Library Publications. (WLP also makes it available as a digital PDF download.) Thatcher has struck a perfect balance between preserving the modality in an organ accompaniment, while providing matching guitar chords. With regard to unity, these accompaniments work perfectly with organ and guitar together. If you have not tried such a thing, please do. Strings on the organ with guitar make for a beautiful texture.

3 • Exquisite and steeped in modality are Jeff Ostrowski’s accompaniments. As always, Jeff is exceedingly comprehensive, providing no fewer than four accompaniments for the various forms of the Our Father. He also includes the Latin versions upon which the ICEL Chants are based, a wonderful addition.

      * *  ICEL Chants | Organ Accompaniments | Jeff Ostrowski • Roman Missal, Third Edition

Finally, here are recordings and practice videos of the ICEL Chants of The Roman Missal, Third Edition (including the Exsultet). Recorded at St. Cecilia Church in Boston, the four seconds of delay require the pacing and breathing to be a bit broader. Fr. Jonathan Gaspar sings the celebrants’ parts.

The chants are sung unaccompanied in this recording. Interestingly, I find that congregations sing these best when unaccompanied! Accompaniments can be a security blanket and even necessary at times. But in due season, let it go, and sing out!

I hope this is all of some use in praying the words of the Mass.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ICEL Chants, Singing the Mass Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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

Random Quote

“Some of our younger parish clergy read their sermons. This should not be done except for some very special reason. The priest who is not capable of preparing and delivering a brief, clear instruction on Catholic teaching to his people is not fit to be in parish work. The people as a rule do not want to listen to a sermon reader.”

— Archbishop of Baltimore (9 July 1929)

Recent Posts

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  • Bishop François Charrière Vs. Hannibal Bugnini
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  • “My First Year with the Latin Mass” • A Music Director’s Perspective
  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”

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