FEW DAYS AGO, I received this message from a priest serving as rector at a major cathedral in California: “I’m wondering if you can help me with any suggestions for music for the ORDINARY OF MASS in Spanish. The musical settings we’ve been using here are pretty rough (more dancing in the street than sacred). Are you aware of any good options out there? Thanks for any help you can give.”
Dire Straits • The dictionary definition for dire straits is: “serious trouble with no easy way out.” When it comes to settings for the Mass Ordinary in Spanish, we Church musicians often find ourselves in dire straits. If you know excellent settings, please email them to me!
Relative Success • In answer to the priest’s plea, I provide the settings with which we’ve had the most success here at Saint Mary’s. The priest (or deacon) at our church always sings the ‘troped’ version of the KYRIE ELEISON; so we don’t use music for that. On days when the GLORIA is prescribed, we sing the version provided by the Roman Missal, using the following keyboard harmonization:
Sanctus • We have had success with three (3) versions of the “Santo, Santo, Santo.” First of all, the congregation knows the setting printed in the MISAL ROMANO, TERCERA EDICIÓN. Here is the organ accompaniment we use:
Our congregation also knows “Santo Santo Santo” in honor of Padre Juan de Brébeuf, and here’s the congregational insert as well as the keyboard accompaniment:
Finally, we use this popular SANTO, SANTO, SANTO by Alejandro Mejía, and I have written a keyboard accompaniment for it. However, I can’t share it publicly because the composition itself may still be under copyright in certain regions.
Agnus Dei • We sing the AGNUS DEI in Spanish, but something tells me our pastor will eventually change it to the traditional Latin. In any event, the Cordero de Dios en honor de Francisco José Bressani is quite beautiful, and sounds like plainsong:
From time to time—especially at funerals—we use the version printed in the MISAL ROMANO, TERCERA EDICIÓN. I’ve written an organ accompaniment for it you can take a look at:
Finally, although some may consider it a little bit hokey, we use the musical setting of the CORDERO DE DIOS from Missa Guadalupe by Joel Martinson.
Sententiae Concludentes • The best situation would be to find four (4) excellent settings of each part of the ORDINARY OF MASS in Spanish. That way, I could alternate each week of the month, meaning the people would be familiar but not too familiar with each musical setting.
