JMJ Praised be Jesus Christ!
I am trying to learn how to properly chant the Divine Office in English. I am currently using ye "new-fangled" one volume Christian Prayer, published in 1972? A Catholic Retreat Center close to my home has begun doing Solemn Vespers and wants to chant them, and everyone who goes uses the Christian Prayer I just mentioned. They have asked me and my family to learn how to chant it, and then come and teach them.
We began by trying to learn from the little instructional section in the back of the prayer book, but decided that the psalm tones there did not sound very Gregorian (upon further investigation, we learned that the composers were going for a more "Hebrew/Israeli" sound in order to bring us more in touch with our Biblical Jewish roots), and they were not, shall I say, "anticipatable" melody lines. I found that the instructions in general were difficult to interpret or follow unless one is already well acquainted with chanting psalms and the Office! Ha!
So, my questions are:
1. Does anyone know of a book or resource which could instruct me about the basic rudiments of how to chant the Office?
Then instruction about the traditional way of properly chanting it.
2. Also, at the Colloquium I recently attended, we sang morning prayer and night prayer - and having the notation above the text was just splendid. I wondered if that was taken from Deacon Pat Cunningham's Gregorian English Divine Office.
3. What comments can you make regarding the Mundelein Psalter? It's format, ease of use, worthiness, etc.
I would love to switch to a Liturgy of the Hours book which has the notation in it - even then I could make copies from it for the other people who don't have the book themselves, but are there to sing vespers. Maybe this book is "the answer" I am seeking.
I think that's everything... for now... thank you! God bless you.
I am trying to learn how to properly chant the Divine Office in English. I am currently using ye "new-fangled" one volume Christian Prayer, published in 1972? A Catholic Retreat Center close to my home has begun doing Solemn Vespers and wants to chant them, and everyone who goes uses the Christian Prayer I just mentioned. They have asked me and my family to learn how to chant it, and then come and teach them.
We began by trying to learn from the little instructional section in the back of the prayer book, but decided that the psalm tones there did not sound very Gregorian (upon further investigation, we learned that the composers were going for a more "Hebrew/Israeli" sound in order to bring us more in touch with our Biblical Jewish roots), and they were not, shall I say, "anticipatable" melody lines. I found that the instructions in general were difficult to interpret or follow unless one is already well acquainted with chanting psalms and the Office! Ha!
So, my questions are:
1. Does anyone know of a book or resource which could instruct me about the basic rudiments of how to chant the Office?
Then instruction about the traditional way of properly chanting it.
2. Also, at the Colloquium I recently attended, we sang morning prayer and night prayer - and having the notation above the text was just splendid. I wondered if that was taken from Deacon Pat Cunningham's Gregorian English Divine Office.
3. What comments can you make regarding the Mundelein Psalter? It's format, ease of use, worthiness, etc.
I would love to switch to a Liturgy of the Hours book which has the notation in it - even then I could make copies from it for the other people who don't have the book themselves, but are there to sing vespers. Maybe this book is "the answer" I am seeking.
I think that's everything... for now... thank you! God bless you.