Tuesday, March 03, 2009

English chant settings coming online

I hope we all remember this year as the year when English chant settings became free to the world.

You have to understand that some great musicians have been involved in this effort for decades, but they were oddly shunned by the dominant market players, despite their merit of their work. To use these settings would signify a dramatic change in every parish, from the temporally bound 4-hymn model that is ubiquitous toward a style and approach much more in keeping with what the Roman Rite calls for it. It would mean recovery the propers, which is a central goal of the new Catholic music movement (yes, I discuss this at length in Sing Like a Catholic).

Before the digital age, these settings were restricted to monasteries, passed around by hand, or available only through the most obscure outlets. Now, in a very short time, they have become available to the entire world for free--treasures being given away that will change the experience at Mass and transform the parish.

Truly, there is no excuse remaining.

Have a look at the most recent uploads for Lent and Easter from Fr. Kelly and Bruce Ford.

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