When I started to direct church music in the late 1970’s, there was not much of a choice in the sung Ordinary parts of the Mass. These sung parts most people know as the “Lord Have Mercy” (Penitential Rite), The Glory to God, the Gospel Acclamation (Alleluia and verse preceding the proclamation of the Gospel), the Holy, Holy, the Memorial Acclamation following the words of consecration, the Doxology and Great Amen at the end of the Eucharistic prayer, and, the Lamb of God sung during the fraction rite.
In the 1980’s, there was a great flurry of activity in composing musical and singable Ordinary parts of the Mass. Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation and Mass of Remembrance; David Haas’ Mass of Glory and Mass of Joy; mass settings composed by Mike Joncas and the St Louis Jesuits are notable settings of the Ordinary of the Mass that people enjoyed singing. However, in the past 20 years, I have noticed that many newly composed settings of the Ordinary of the Mass have become trite, boring, and very unmusical. Equally as boring are those attempts to quote motifs from old Latin chants and impose the Ordinary Mass texts on them. They just don’t work, are unsingable, and are tedious to sing. They just don’t work.
So, as I was convalescing from my broken wrist, my music program, Finale, and I were busy composing a brand new setting of the Ordinary Mass parts. I chose to compose them not only for SATB choir, cantor (at times), and piano, but added instrumentation such as 3 octave handbells, flutes, violins, trumpets, horn in F, and trombone to the compositions. This blog and the two following will be featuring these new Mass settings that are not only singable but musical.
Because the choir parts all sound like just sung “Ahhhhhs”, I have included the sung Mass texts along with the MP3 of the music.
The Lord Have Mercy
This is composed for a cantor, with the congregation parts doubled by the SATB choir.
Lord Have Mercy
Lord Jesus, you came into the world
For our salvation. Lord have mercy. (repeated by choir and congregation)
Lord Jesus, you continue to be with us
By the grace of your Spirit, Christ have mercy. (repeated by choir and congregation)
Lord Jesus, you will come again in glory,
Lord have mercy. (repeated by choir and congregation)
Lord Have Mercy (c) 2024, music by Robert Charles Wagner. All rights reserved. Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
The Glory to God
The Glory to God is composed for SATB choir, piano, 3 octave handbell choir, 2 flutes, 2 violins, 2 trumpets, horn in F, and trombone. There is a common refrain that all can sing immediately, with the verses initially sung by the choir, but easily learnable by the congregation over time.
Glory to God in the Highest
Refrain:
Glory to God, Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God, Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Refrain
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
Refrain
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
Refrain
Glory to God (c) music by Robert Charles Wagner. All rights reserved. Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
