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Views from the Choir Loft

New Collection of Propers from GIA

Fr. David Friel · October 2, 2016

UBLISHING SETS of English Mass propers began to catch on in earnest only a few years ago. The trend began with individual efforts, largely published freely online. The trend is growing, apparently into something of a market.

An abundance of free, propers-based resources are available here at CC Watershed. The Simple English Propers project remains freely available here. Richard Rice’s Communio project is posted here for free download.

Several wonderful collections of propers have been released in recent years by CanticaNOVA Publications. There is also Fr. Weber’s excellent book, The Proper of the Mass for Sundays and Solemnities, still available through Ignatius Press. Filling a void for the oft-neglected offertory propers is Dr. Jon Naples’ outstanding collection, Offertory.

The field is no longer limited, though, to niche markets.

Interestingly, the trend towards propers has begun to find a home even in the large publishing houses of liturgical music. For example, just released by GIA Publications is the first volume of Honey from the Rock, a new collection that takes texts from the antiphons of the Roman Missal and sets them to music in a variety of genres. This is actually the first installment of a promised four-volume series from GIA.

There are other examples, too. Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB has settings of entrance and communion antiphons for the year available through OCP. International Library Publications offers a few collections of antiphons here.

For a long time, the Mass propers have not accounted for a very large share of the liturgical music publishing market. This is strange, of course, since the actual liturgical texts would seem the ideal texts for producing liturgical music. This new momentum says something about where we are in the project of restoring truly sacred music.

The fact that major publishers are offering collections based on proper texts is evidence that there is a market for this. Publishers would not be producing new vernacular settings of the propers if they did not expect them to sell. This means that the propers movement has achieved at least some degree of traction.

Needless to say, not all of the aforementioned resources are of the same quality or the same suitability for Catholic worship. Nevertheless, the fact that more publishers are taking seriously the need to provide music for the official liturgical texts, rather than simply songs of our own creation, is quite significant. It means that our ongoing grassroots efforts for truly sacred music, rooted in the liturgy of the Church, is bearing fruit.

Someone else reacting to the new collection from GIA might be disappointed, looking down about the modern music styles used by the composer. What I see, however, is hope.

Growing attention to the Mass propers—even in styles that may not epitomize universality, beauty, and holiness—is evidence that authentically Catholic liturgical music has promise.

Editor’s Note: Richard Rice recently released 900 pages of English Propers with accompaniment (Volume 1 and Volume) which can be downloaded free of charge if you create a Lulu username & password.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Alius Cantus Aptus, Authentic Liturgical Renewal Reform, CanticaNOVA Publications, Hymns Replacing Propers, Proper of the Mass in English, Propers, Roman Missal Third Edition, Simple English Mass Propers, Singing the Mass Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

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

“After a discussion lasting several days, in which arguments for and against were discussed, the Council fathers came to the clear conclusion—wholly in agreement with the Council of Trent—that Latin must be retained as the language of cult in the Latin rite, although exceptional cases were possible and even welcome.”

— Alfons Cardinal Stickler, Vatican II ‘peritus’

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