“My Best Advice To You” • After 18 Years At My Catholic Parish

ECENT POSTS HERE by Jeff Ostrowski have focused on the use of English chant in the NOVUS ORDO celebration of Mass. These are welcome, not because we want to disregard the preeminence of Gregorian chant in Latin, but because very often it is the task of the choirmaster (often the ‘new’ choirmaster) to begin the introduction of the proper texts into the Mass. As Jeff has pointed out, while the singing of the propers each and every Sunday is becoming commonplace, there are still many more parishes that are just beginning this introduction. Often, English is a way to transition from hymnody to propers, and from 1980’s style music to traditional sounding Catholic plainsong.

Start Slowly • If you’re a choirmaster looking to find the best way to incorporate the propers into your liturgies, the very best advice I can give you is to begin slowly. Don’t have the choir sing a full polyphonic Mass and all the chants in Latin on your first day on the job. Be patient, introduce one thing at a time. I’ve seen and read horror stories about musicians who can’t understand why their new parish turned against them when they threw the baby out with the bathwater and turned their world upside down. As Jeff wrote in his article published on 2 October 2024 (English Plainchant Revival):

“It’s absolutely crucial that the re-introduction of plainsong to the parish Mass on Sunday be done in a way that avoids alienating your congregation.”

(1 of 2) Inspiration • I’m now in my eighteenth year at my parish in Dallas and we’ve come a long way! But I’m still looking for ways to ‘push the envelope,’ to make the choir sound better, and to sing what the Church requires and proposes for the celebration of the Holy Mass to embody THE GOOD, THE TRUE, and THE BEAUTIFUL. To do this, I sometimes need inspiration to be able to imagine what might be possible where we are. A few years ago, I attended Mass at Westminster Cathedral in London. I absolutely love the viral, full-bodied sound of the men’s voices there, and when I heard them chant the INTROIT while in procession at the beginning of Mass, I knew I had to try that! Now, we’d been singing the INTROIT after a hymn for about eight or nine years—but rarely while in procession. And, with the full support of the pastor, we now do that once per month.¹ It’s an amazing thing to hear the chant start from a distance and slowly emerge into its fullness. As one person recently told me: “It’s a very holy sound.”

(2 of 2) Inspiration • Another source of inspiration can be the work of composers who have successfully written works that are within our tradition of plainchant and polyphony and yet are meant to be accessible to both singers and congregations. The work of Kevin Allen is the prime example of this type of work, and to our readers I’m sure he needs no introduction. A few years ago, we began singing some of his 3-voice motets for SAB, especially in our early morning Masses when the choir is quite small. These pieces, with their accompanying psalm verses in Latin, inspired me to imagine yet another way.

COMMUNION PROPERS “ad libitum” in ENGLISH & LATIN:

Be Aware Of Possibilities • As Jeff recently pointed out, some musicians might, at first, get frustrated with learning a new set of chants each and every week. However, after a few years’ time, the return of these chants is “like greeting an old friend.” I think that many people are aware that the NOVUS ORDO Mass has a ton of possibilities vis-à-vis what’s allowed to be sung at certain times; the antiphon from the GRADUALE ROMANUM, the antiphon from the GRADUALE SIMPLEX, a chant from another collection, English, Latin, etc. (Please note: I don’t want this discussion to devolve into the endless arguments about the confusion or ‘creativity’ that these choices foster. It is what it is for right now.)

A Valid Option • One option that choirmasters have is the singing of the ad libitum communion propers instead of the assigned one. The GRADUALE ROMANUM provides seven (7) of these, taken from various times of the year. With this in mind, a few years ago I began to think about ways to use these texts in a useful and accessible way—and a way long enough to cover the entire Communion procession. So far, I’ve set two of these proper texts: (a) Ego sum vitis/I am the vine and Panis quem ego dedero/The bread which I will give. (I hope to finish writing the rest of these!)

Here are the various components of these pieces and how they can be used.

(A) A short, 3-voice motet in Latin of the antiphon text;

(B) An English setting of the same text for either a cantor or choir. Both sections are in the same key and the opening motive of the Latin motet is exactly the same as the English antiphon. (Like the head motive of the Byrd Masses) Even some of the harmonies of the English antiphon are heard in the Latin motet.

(C) The appropriate psalm verses composed for choir, but easily sung by a cantor.

Some ways to incorporate these pieces into the sacred liturgy:

(A) Sing only the Latin motet;

(B) Sing the Latin motet and the English verses, repeating the motet after each verse;

(C) Sing the English antiphon with congregation and the English verses;

(D) Sing the English antiphon and the English verses, then sing the motet, and end the Communion procession with the Doxology and the repeat of the English antiphon.

And anything that is in English works with either cantor or choir.

At my parish I use these settings and some other ‘responsorial-like’ settings (see the works of Andrew Motyka, for example) on a four-week seasonal rotation at our early morning Mass. After these last few years, the congregation can pretty much sing these from memory, and the words are ‘like greeting old friends.’

Below is a recording of one of the motets: Ego sum vitis.