Friday, September 23, 2011

Mass Proper of the Ordinary Form, 26th Sunday of the Year

Because people continue to request these video/audio presentations every week, from the Simple English Propers, here are the propers for the processions in the ordinary form.

Keep in mind that this project, which can potentially change the experience of Mass for millions of Catholics, has also put on display a completely different publishing model. The entire book is online for free at musicasacra.com/sep in a variety of formats.

The model is called "the commons" because the music is published in a non-proprietary way, so no licenses are necessary at all. You can print and sing, without buying the book and without possessing a license from the state. We might say that this was the model in which the Psalms themselves were published and Christianity took hold in the world. The idea is not to extract revenue from the few who are desperate but rather to change the world on the assumption of limitless demand.

Keep in mind too that these pieces are not performance pieces as such. They are sung prayer designed for a particular liturgical use, and it is only in this liturgical context that this music takes flight. There is an element of absurdity in posting youtubes of the melodies because the presentation completely lacks the context. In living use, they take on a different character entirely.






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