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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Spanish Missal Chants Now Available

Fr. David Friel · April 22, 2018

EGINNING later this year, a new Spanish translation of the Latin, 3rd typical edition of the Missale Romanum goes into force in the United States of America. This new missal—the Misal Romano, tercera edición—will become available from publishers beginning in May 2018. Its use will be optional beginning at the Vigil of Pentecost (19 May 2018) and mandatory by the First Sunday of Advent (2 December 2018).

When the English translation of the 3rd typical edition was released in 2011, one of the chief improvements was the increased presence of musical notation in the pages of the missal. At the time, a massive project was undertaken to introduce these simple, but beautiful chants to clergy and laity throughout the Anglophone world. The same opportunity now presents itself with respect to Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. This is a significant moment for Spanish-speaking Catholics to reintroduce truly sacred music to their celebrations, in place of the American-Hispanic music that has for so long been imposed upon their communities.

In order to help the faithful become familiar with the 2011 English missal chants, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) authorized the free and wide dissemination of the new settings. They even produced a very helpful website to assist liturgical musicians in English-speaking dioceses and parishes.

Now, the same permission has been granted for the distribution of the new Spanish missal chants. A lovely and user-friendly website has been published by the Zipoli Institute. The goal of the institute (which is an apostolate of the Institute of the Incarnate Word) is to provide resources that help to make sacred music accessible in mission territories.

Included in the Spanish section of the Zipoli Institute’s website are three resources of particular importance:

1. Practice recordings of the Misal Romano chants (in both standard and low pitches)

2. A printable booklet of the Misal Romano chants for congregational use (in both single-sheet and double-sheet formats)

3. A collection of quality, Spanish hymns for various occasions

The Zipoli Institute is also a treasure trove of materials for the sung Mass in English and for Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Additional materials are provided or referenced for sacristans, for funeral/wedding planning, and for singing polyphony.

I highly recommend a visit to their website to explore the abundance of resources they provide.

Next week, a special conference will be held just outside Washington, DC to provide training in the new chants of the Misal Romano. On Friday, 27 April 2018 the workshop will be tailored to clergy and seminarians, whereas the sessions on Saturday, 28 April 2018 are directed toward music directors, choirs, and congregations.

Let us pray that the introduction of this new translation of the Misal Romano will enable Spanish-speaking Catholics to sing a truly new song to the Lord!

Cantad al Señor un cántico nuevo, porque ha hecho maravillas . . . Aclamad con júbilo al Señor, toda la tierra; prorrumpid y cantad con gozo, cantad alabanzas. (Salmo 98)

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ICEL, ICEL Chants, ICEL New Translation of the Roman Missal, Misal Romano, Propers, Spanish Hymnal for Catholics, Zipoli Institute 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

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“Then, when the later great Germans arrived, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven—all secular composers—and tried their hands at sacred music, they set Roman Catholic words to music which in form and spirit is Protestant.”

— Sir Richard Runciman Terry (1912)

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