Music for Wedding Mass

03APR12 | Vanity

[dsc]

Sorry for the vanity, but I would very much like some advice.

My daughter, her fiance, and I went down and talked to the cathedral's music director about the music for her wedding.

We chose what we all think are some very nice pieces, and I made sure to confirm that no...less preferred music...would be snuck in.

We received an e-mail from him today listing the music we had chosen, but calling for the Mystery of Faith -- “We Proclaim” -- and the Amen to come from the Heritage Mass, which is, the best I was able to confirm, put out by OCP and written some time after the 1980s.

I don't find this to be satisfactory. Can anyone tell me of some more traditional alternatives?

[dsc]

Boy, ya gotta keep your eye on them all the time.

[Straight Vermonter]

I don’t have the answers for you but I will ping the folks who have Catholic ping lists, maybe someone will have an answer for you. I know there have been some choir directors posting on FR.

[JoeDetweiler]

City Hall....$ 15.00......transister radio.

Just like my Mom & Dad.

[sayuncledave]

dsc,
may I make a suggestion? Same question on fisheaters?

[afraidfortherepublic]

the Mystery of Faith -- “We Proclaim” -- and the Amen to come from the Heritage Mass

Since the new translation of the Mass went into effect at Advent 2011, there are new recommendations (requirements?) for those prayers. I don't understand why, but we've all been singing different responses and different music ever since.

[Tax-chick]

I believe AAM is an expert in these things.

[KoRn]

“Raining Blood” by Slayer is a timeless classic for such events!

[VermiciousKnid]

Have them do the Mysterium Fidei in Latin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqHmyL3eQfU

And here’s Doxology/Amen from ccwatershed.org:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TUL4Nkt_Uw

Good luck!
Regards,

[IbJensen]

Ask Ann Landers.

Oh, can’t do that. She’s dead.

[AnAmericanMother]

T-c, you are too kind. :-D I'll do my best.

dsc, the Heritage Mass is on the OCP website here.

The melody for most of the Mass appears to be based on the hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy (Lord God Almighty)". The "we proclaim" is based on something else that I can't quite place - maybe a minor key iteration of the melody. It's not as bad as some I've heard by any stretch, but it isn't all that great.

Is there going to be a choir? if not, you don't get all the harmony and the descant. If there is, they'll probably want to go with something familiar (unless they're a rather adventurous choir with a talented director.)

Our parish is using settings composed by our music director (which I would be pleased to send to you if you want them). Because of the change in words, you have somewhat limited options. . . . but the Great Amen can be anything you want because the words (word) didn't change!.

My suggestions - (1) use the setting you like best for the Great Amen. (2) see if you can talk the organist into using the Latin (Missa de Angelis).

Mysterium fidei. The priest's preface in the video is the more elaborated version - there is also an alternative, very simple one. Organist should know it. It is not difficult: "Mortem tuam annunciamus, Domine. Et tuam resurrectionem confitemur, donec venias."

[AnAmericanMother]

GMTA.

The Latin really is best for the Mysterium fidei.

[bt_dooftlook]

Try “The Sign (of the Fish)” by The Knights of the New Crusade, from their album “My God Is Alive - Sorry About Yours”. ;)

[Jeff Chandler]

ping

[dsc]

Thanks to everyone who replied.

I think we’ll probably go with the Latin.

Hope we don’t get static from the music director.

[Salvation]

Is the Heritage Mass music new?

Here are the lyrics of the new translations:
Three choices:
1. We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection intil you come again.
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your death, O lord, until you come again.
3. Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.

[J. Worthington]

Ave Maria or “Our Father” (Lord’s Prayer(, both beautiful played on trumpet. ;-)

[dsc]

“Is the Heritage Mass music new?”

Looks and sounds like it to me.

It kinda irks me that the music director would choose that after we specifically said we didn’t want anything from the 20th or 21st centuries.

[dsc]

“Is there going to be a choir?”

No, just a *very* nice organ and a talented male vocalist.

“Our parish is using settings composed by our music director”

I have a number of irrational prejudices. One of them is aimed at Church music written after about 1900.

“My suggestions - (1) use the setting you like best for the Great Amen. (2) see if you can talk the organist into using the Latin (Missa de Angelis).”

Yes, that sounds good.

“Mortem tuam annunciamus, Domine. Et tuam resurrectionem confitemur, donec venias.”

Ah, Latin. Why does it sound so much better than English?

[dsc]

Fisheaters? I apologize for my iggernunce, but I don’t recognize the word.

[AnAmericanMother]

I am very suspicious of anything composed after about 1802. :-)

But our music director is definitely composing in the classical tradition. He has a Master's in Early Music from Oregon, and a D.M.A. from Juilliard. He writes stuff that sounds rather 19th century -- something like the French (Durufle, Mulet, Franck) and something like the better English (Howells, Vaughn Williams). Or he can go all chant-ish or polyphonic on you. But it's not 'modern' in the sense you mean.

Way too many music directors/organists have no actual, formal music training. It makes a difference.

That said, you can't go wrong with chant, especially in the Mass setting.

In answer to your question -- Latin is eminently singable, as good as Italian. It is also very dense - a lot of meaning in a very few words. So it is easy to set. It takes a true genius like Byrd or Tallis to set English words in the same style.

If you've got an excellent male vocalist, what about one of the "Five Mystical Songs" by George Herbert, set by Ralph Vaughn Williams? This is my favorite: The Call.

Herbert was an Anglican, but he was a very devout one. That said, I'm not sure that even he always understood what he meant. His poems are deep, very deep.

I like this young baritone's performance better than any of the pros who have put up YouTube videos - he has some minor breath and phrasing issues but his voice is wonderful and he doesn't beat the vibrato to death like some 'operatic' types seem to think they need to do.