Thursday, March 19, 2009

Simple Music for Lent

Fr. Samuel Weber has put together a small collection of Lent music for everyone that can be used for any occasion during Lent, whether entrance or offertory or communion (option 4 in the GIRM). The texts are taken from the entrance and communion antiphons of the season and adjusted slightly, fit with pretty antiphons that can be memorized easily, and then matched with Psalms.

Here is his entire collection.

He uses them to teach seminarians that value of sung prayer, so that they can develop a sense of plainsong and understand why the style of liturgical music truly is. I like them for any purpose, like family prayer or Mass or anything really. They are a wonderful alternative to the mainstream material, and provide an excellent entryway to sacred music.

This kind of material is absolutely essential to beginning this journey. It requires no chant master, no great singers, no time at all, and it illustrates the holiness and beauty of sacred music.

Here is an example:

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