OR THE VERY first time in history, an exceedingly rare English translation of a pivotal document from 1967 can be downloaded as a PDF file (122 pages). An immense amount could be written about this document—and I predict that many articles will soon appear which analyze it, assess its impact, and borrow quotations from it. For the moment, I must let the document speak for itself. I would note in passing, however, that its appearance caused the head of the liturgical reforms—Giacomo Cardinal Lercaro—to go into a “hissy fit” (for lack of better words) and temporarily abandon his reforms.1
Not Perfect • Nobody can deny that Casini’s document brings together many valuable quotations about the sacred liturgy. That being said, his monograph is not flawless. Casini makes some technical errors when he speaks of Gregorian Chant. Specifically, he seems ignorant of the reëmployment of melodies (e.g. the canticles on Holy Saturday).
(1 of 2) Sin Against Nature • Today, I will explore Casini’s statement on page 92 that singing plainsong in the vernacular is a “sin against nature” (his words). Is this really true? For instance, did the holy missionaries of North America commit a sin against nature by meticulously printing hundreds of pages of plainsong in Iroquois, Algonquin, and Huron?
(2 of 2) Sin Against Nature • Those who have followed my work since the 1990s know of my fanatical devotion to Gregorian Chant in Latin.2 So what’s my personal opinion vis-à-vis Gregorian Chant sung in the vernacular? When he calls it “a sin against nature,” is Tito Casini correct? Well, one of my favorite saints is the Curé d’Ars. I believe Saint John Mary Vianney was an incredibly holy priest—but he didn’t offer Mass in the Roman Rite. (In those days, French priests adhered to the Neo-Gallican rites.) In other words, Vianney used the liturgy of his particular locality and became a great saint. I feel that sometimes we’re called to “adapt” to particular circumstances ordained by God’s Will.
Example #1 • Consider the following OFFERTORY from Palm Sunday. To me, it seems both beautiful and dignified. Furthermore, when I sing plainsong in English, I’ve been noticing something peculiar. Even though I’ve sung these same chants for 30 years in Latin, when I sing in English certain phrases “jump out” at me. (I’m just being honest.)
Example #2 • I have been in Michigan since the summer of 2024. When I first got here, I stood outside (after every Mass) and recruited members from the parish so we could form a choir. Each Sunday, our volunteer ladies have learned the Introit from the GRADUALE ROMANUM in English—and I’ve been won over by vernacular plainsong. These women sing so beautifully! I wish you could hear them, but no microphone is capable of ‘capturing’ their haunting and gorgeous choral sound accurately. These volunteers have worked so hard every week to learn a new INTROIT. What a relief it will be when we get through the entire liturgical year because each INTROIT will start to repeat. It’s a bit unfair to show you a live recording of our women, because we only have time to practice the INTROIT literally for about 10 minutes each week. (If you think I’m being dishonest, email my assistant and she’ll confirm what I’m saying.) But perhaps this ‘live’ excerpt from Laetare Sunday will give you a taste of how they sound:
Example #3 • We recently started a men’s schola cantorum, and I’m so impressed with the progress they are making:
* Mp3 • COMMUNION: Men’s Schola—Live rec.
Example #4 • Speaking of vernacular plainsong, we use the Saint Noël Chabanel settings for the Responsorial Psalm. Our main cantor, Kaitrin Drost, is amazing—and we are blessed that she’ll be serving as a member of the faculty for Sacred Music Symposium 2025. Here’s a live excerpt of Kaitrin singing with her talented daughter:
* Mp3 • Saint Noël Chabanel Psalmody—Live rec.
Example #5 • We sing plenty of beautiful hymns from the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. Below is a ‘live’ recording from last Sunday. The moment when the choir divides into SATB parts is glorious:
* Mp3 • Hymn by Father Faber—Live rec.
Example #6 • It goes without saying that we sing tons of Renaissance sacred music. The following is a choral extension based on a piece by Father Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599). The congregation sings along with the famous Mass XVIII setting then the choir alone sings the “extension”—as you can hear:
* Mp3 • SANCTUS (Choral Extension)—Live rec.
Finest Plainsong Adaptations?
HICH ARE THE BEST vernacular settings of Gregorian Chant? Monsignor Robert Skeris had a favorite saying: caveat emptor. That means: “Let the buyer beware.” In my experience, some English adaptations are atrocious. I find myself asking the question: “Did the person who composed this ever sing through it?” Dr. Lucas Tappan has the same opinion—although I’m not at liberty to reveal the settings he hates! The adaptations by the CHAUMONOT COMPOSERS GROUP are excellent, but not available digitally. (They are currently working with a publisher to go the “physical paper” route.) I’ve been trying to promote their settings by composing organ accompaniments—and gently “nudging” them to go to the digital download route.
(1 of 3) John Ainslie • In my opinion, a noteworthy attempt at vernacular plainsong was made by John Ainslie. His 2014 collection—which he rather unimaginatively titled as English Proper Chants—can be purchased on Amazon. His two settings of the INTROIT for Easter Sunday are outstanding. However, Ainslie’s collection suffers from two serious flaws. First of all, instead of setting the propers from the Graduale Romanum, Ainslie used the ADALBERT PROPERS (which are sometimes called the “Spoken Propers” or “Missal Propers”). The ADALBERT PROPERS were never intended to be sung. They were created circa 1969 for use at private Masses or “Masses without music.”
(2 of 3) John Ainslie • Another drawback with John Ainslie’s settings are their accompaniments, which are amateurish and contain all kinds of errors. For example, in the following: (a) The green shows a lack of common tones; (b) The yellow shows 6/4 chords, which are forbidden; (c) The pink lines show all the voices moving simultaneously in the same direction; (d) The blue lines show parallel fifths between outer voices!
(3 of 3) John Ainslie • Indeed, his accompaniments are riddled with all kinds of basic errors. The following shows Ainslie’s setting for the COMMUNION ANTIPHON for the Third Sunday of Advent. The dotted pink shows a 6/4 chord, the highlighted yellow shows an unprepared dissonance, and the green lines show parallel octaves.
I could easily show more errors, but you get the point. It really is a shame such a fine effort was marred by parallel octaves and unresolved sevenths. John Ainslie clearly would have profited if he took my seminar! 😊
Poor Settings • How can one tell if a setting is poor? Well, some English adaptations sound like they were written by a computer (“artificial intelligence”). They may use the correct words, but there’s so much more to music than that. A poor setting will be eminently forgettable. When your choir performs a poor setting, you will think to yourself: “Wowsers! This sounds so boring. I hope it ends soon.”
Conclusion • For decades, authors here at Corpus Christi Watershed have attempted to bring praiseworthy plainsong adaptations to the attention of our readers. And we have no plans to stop doing this! I have much more to say about Gregorian Chant in the vernacular—and I hope to cite some authorities next time. (Spoiler alert! They don’t all agree.)
As always, if I have missed the mark in today’s article please let me know. But when you write to me, please be specific in your criticisms.
1 It seems utterly incredible that this document would cause Cardinal Lercaro to return to his diocese of Bologna to pout and sulk. After all, the Consilium was, in the words of Professor Louis Bouyer (author of EUCHARISTIC PRAYER NUMBER 2): “recasting from top to bottom—and in a few months!—an entire liturgy which had required twenty centuries to develop.” In other words, they were severely modifying a liturgy which had been loved by Catholics for 1,500 years. And Cardinal Lercaro expected no blowback whatsoever? Really?
2 In 2002, I produced the first-ever COMPACT DISC to include Renaissance polyphony using “multi-track” techniques. That same disc included tons of Gregorian Chant, both accompanied and unaccompanied. In those days, I formed Gregorian scholae anywhere I could, both in the Catholic Church and at the secular universities. Since that time, the various teaching websites I’ve created for Gregorian Chant in Latin have received something like 22 million downloads. I hope no one will accuse me of disliking Gregorian Chant in Latin.
