Thursday 22 December 2011

An Early Christmas Present


Yesterday there arrived to my door all the way from Solesmes in French France the copy of "Singing the Mass" I ordered three weeks ago. It has the order of Mass in English (new translation) and Latin with all the chants in proper plainsong notation. Fuller details are available at the link above but one or two things are worth a mention.
The English and Latin texts and music are printed on facing pages which enable one to switch from one to another with ease and to make comparisons regarding the setting of theEnglish texts with the Latin originals.
The work appears to have originated in Australia and carries the imprimatur of Cardinal Pell. Two interesting British inclusions appear to be an alternative setting of the Lord's Prayer courtesy of Westminster Cathedral and an Alleluia by Dom Gregory MurrayO.S.B.. This last piece I have used for many years having first heard it sung in Clifton Cathedral about thirty years ago. It also features on a disc of chant I got last year but this is the first time I have seen its source acknowledged. I have particularly favoured it as a means of giving the well-known Easter triple alleluia a break.

No comments:

Post a Comment