HE GRADUALE ROMANUM in English set to the music of Gregorian Psalm Tones for all Sundays and Solemnities. Includes 45 fully pointed Psalms for Singers.
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The exceptional English translations used in this book have been approved for liturgical use in the United States. They are identical to the Solesmes Gregorian Missal (Imprimatur, 1989), the St. Isaac Jogues Illuminated Missal, the Simple English Propers (CMAA, 2011), the Laudate Communion Antiphons, and many more liturgical books.
Summary of Contents
The Lalemant Propers are extremely simple settings (in English) of the Mass Propers which make it possible for any person to sing these sacred prayers, even people who have no musical training whatsoever. Many “bonus” features are included, such as the Good Friday Reproaches and forty-five complete Psalms pointed musically.
Press Release
Those who wish to follow the teachings of the Second Vatican Council by implementing the Mass Propers realize that absolute consistency is the only way forward. So what happens when your cantor gets sick or your choir doesn’t have time to learn one or more chants from the Simple English Propers? The answer is simple: pull out the Lalemant Propers. Each one is fully written out, and can be sung by absolutely anyone with ease.
Offertory Example
Let’s say you’re unable to prepare the full Offertory (PDF) for All Saints Day. You had planned to use the Simple English Propers, but your choir couldn’t learn it in time. No problem! Your choir can easily do use the Lalemant Propers and add Psalm Tones, like so:
Holy Saturday Example
The Lalemant Propers contain all kinds of handy settings for various feasts. For instance, the complete Holy Week is included. Here’s an example of singing the assigned “Canticle” for Holy Saturday. This beautiful text is almost always replaced by a Responsorial Psalm, but the Lalemant Propers makes it possible to sing the ancient Canticle, which is the more traditional option:
Textual Considerations
The Lalemant Propers are very simple, allowing the congregation to meditate upon the beautiful Scripture passages. The Lalemant Propers employ an Accentual Psalm Tone perfectly suited to the English language. Incidentally, many pseudo-scholars of Gregorian chant who have published articles since the Second Vatican Council are totally ignorant of the difference between Cursive and Accentual cadences in Gregorian chant. They assume all Psalm Tones are Accentual, which is why so many of their articles are filled with contradictions and confusion. That being said, there is certainly nothing wrong with Accentual Tones.
Using Both A Hymn & The Proper
The USCCB Committee on Divine Worship recently confirmed a practice already in place in many parishes wherein the “Entrance Hymn” is followed by the Mass Proper. The Lalemant Propers allow for this practice to be used without exception in every single parish in the United States. The Entrance Antiphon as set by the Lalemant Propers is incredibly short, less than 20 seconds if the verses are not used. Therefore:
Is there any reason why the Propers cannot be sung in every English-speaking parish?
DOCUMENTS FROM VATICAN II encourage Catholics to “sing the Mass” rather than replacing the Mass with non-liturgical texts. This practice is an outgrowth of a maxim attributed to Pope St. Pius X: “Don’t pray at Mass, pray the Mass.” However, those attempting to introduce the Mass Propers at their parishes realize absolute consistency is necessary. Therefore, what happens when a cantor gets sick or there is not adequate time for the choir to learn a chant from the Graduale Romanum or Simple English Propers? Or what about circumstances where a choir is not present, such as a 7:00am Sunday Mass, or (perhaps) a special Holy Day? What about the summer months, when some choirs do not meet? If the Propers are simply omitted, this causes considerable confusion for the congregation, which was previously told that each Mass has special Propers which ought to be sung. We know very well that the Liturgy is complex and must not constantly switch back and forth with changing texts, practices, and musical choices. Constant changes are quite disruptive to Liturgical prayer.
In an effort to make sure that the Mass Propers can always be sung at every Mass no matter what, I have created this 391-page book containing very simple musical arrangements of the Graduale in English.
Author’s Note: This collection was named in honor of St. Gabriel Lalemant, one of the bravest men ever to set foot in the New World. St. Lalemant worked alongside St. Isaac Jogues and the other Jesuit Martyrs of North America. Most of the Corpus Christi Watershed projects are dedicated to these Martyrs, as well as their colleagues who have not yet been canonized. For instance, if you visit the St. Charles Garnier Website, you will notice many Gospel Acclamations named in honor of French Jesuits. By pressing the «View Previous 2 Months» button, you will see names like Fr. François Bressani, William Couture, Fr. Simon Le Moyne, Fr. Paul Ragueneau, Fr. Pierre Chaumonot, Fr. Joseph Le Caron, Fr. Claude Dablon, Fr. Pierre Chastellain, Fr. Jérôme Lalemant, and Fr. Barthélemy Vimont.
I feel strongly called by God to help make the Jesuit Martyrs of North America better known. The first musical CD I ever produced (2001) was dedicated to them, and through the years we have done what we can. However, there is still so much more that needs to be accomplished to make their stories better known. Of course, it is not always possible to do as much as one would like, as the primary object of our organization must be to survive and continue providing resources for the Liturgy. However, I will continue to pray that the Lord will grant this request: that through the years, Corpus Christi Watershed can be a vehicle to let every person in North America know and honor the holy Jesuit Martyrs.
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