Catholic music directors: what mas settings are you using?

When the new translations came out, I saw that as a great opportunity to write and implement my own mass settings, which I did and it went wonderfully. (when they came out, I had only been working for two months). I'm not Catholic and still learning a lot...

So what do you guys use?


Edit: title should read "mass settings" not mas lol sorry

When we heard the mass was going to change we started learning some really cool mass settings ("service music" as we call it) to be prepared for the big change. I believe it was "Mass of Renewal" by Curtis Stephan and "Mass of the Immagrants" by Bob Hurd.

After we did that, the pastor decided he wants all the service music to be chanted. So now we just do an acapella chant, sometimes led by the priest, sometimes by us. I just looked it up and it is called "Roman Missal Chant Mass Setting."

You can use this link to listen. Ours sounds just like these recordings.


Roman Missal Chant:
http://www.ocp.org/newmasssettings/chant-resources

We are doing the Mass of Renewal by William Gokelman and David Kauffman. We were limited to choose this or one our Director wrote. It is growing on me, not very guitar friendly, especially for less experienced players. NPM awarded it 1st place. You can check it out at massofrenewal.com

We're doing Mass of Christ the Savior. Dan Shutte. I really enjoy it alot. Alot of bass chording .Next for Easter I guess we will be doing mass of renewal by Curtis Stephan. Haven't heard it yet . I do have the music for it. Just got it.

What is going on in the roman catholic church these days? I remember doing "Heart of Gold" and "Both Sides Now".

Our musical director (also on Long Island) decided to make a clean break with the past and avoid revisions of any Masses we were already singing, to avoid our unconsciously drifting back to the old words, so he chose the Mass of St. Ann by Ed Bolduc. Sounds modern and is easy to learn, but IMO the settings (especially the intro's) sound a bit too repetitive. Having different instruments play the intro to each setting might help solve that problem.

We are doing the Mass of Renewal by William Gokelman and David Kauffman. We were limited to choose this or one our Director wrote. It is growing on me, not very guitar friendly, especially for less experienced players. NPM awarded it 1st place. You can check it out at massofrenewal.com

I suggested that we do this Mass setting in another parish, but the "powers that be" vetoed it.
Actually, it was the most "guitar friendly" setting compared to the other choices they had, IMO.

What is going on in the roman catholic church these days? I remember doing "Heart of Gold" and "Both Sides Now".

My wife and I can remember a couple of songs from back in the 70's that wouldn't fly today...I remember a couple of Cat Stevens tunes and she remembers hearing Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind."

We're doing Mass of Christ the Savior. Dan Shutte. I really enjoy it alot. Alot of bass chording ....

I'm at another parish now, and they've chosen Dan Schutte's Mass of Christ the Savior...and I also enjoy it alot. But the chords are so easy that I'm chording it on the piano instead.

What is going on in the roman catholic church these days? I remember doing "Heart of Gold" and "Both Sides Now".

My wife and I can remember a couple of songs from back in the 70's that wouldn't fly today...I remember a couple of Cat Stevens tunes and she remembers hearing Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind."

Songs like these were one of the reasons the Vatican wanted some of the "lost sheep" to come back to the "fold".

As much as I love folk Masses, and songs like "Wind beneath my Wings"; it was not "Liturgically correct". I've been in parishes where the hymnal songs suggested by the choir director have nothing to do with the Liturgy's readings.

I've been playing the guitar in the catholic church since I was 13yrs old. Morning has broken has been a song still played. I think cat stevens made it popular in the 70"s. Other than that there are some really awesome songs being written for worship now. I'm now in my 50s. Playing in church and singing has been the one constant in my life. I truely enjoy it and people seem to enjoy what I have to offer. I've written a few songs myself which I have recorded only its hard to break in to get them sung in church for some reason. They have now come out with new translation masses and the one we are doing is pretty nice. Mass of Christ the Savior.

Seems we are going back to what it was origionally way back when I was a kid and it was in Latin then. I like the Gregorian chanting. This is okay. Not sure how I think of going back there, only in english. Simple though and easy for everyone too follow.

I'm the music director for St Rose Catholic Church in Anthem Arizona and I ended up writing my own. I listened to many of the published mass settings and couldn't find one I really liked. I ended up writing my own and got written approval from the USCCB and ICEL to use it at mass. The setting works well with piano/ guitar and a cantor as well as with a full group. The setting would also work well with an organ as the primary instrument but the syncopation in the Gloria might need to be "straightened out." I don't have a professional recording but here is a clip of me and a few singers rehearsing the Gloria before mass. The recording was done with the voice memo app on my iPhone and you'll hear other instruments trickling as they arrive and get set up before mass. If you are interested in the sheet music, let me know. I'm not selling it but would ask that if someone else wants a copy, ask them to contact me instead of photocopying it.... and that I get credit for the composition if you use a worship aide

http://soundcloud.com/matthew-j-ficarra/gloria-new-translation-mass-of

Seems we are going back to what it was origionally way back when I was a kid and it was in Latin then. I like the Gregorian chanting. This is okay. Not sure how I think of going back there, only in english. Simple though and easy for everyone too follow.

I sure hope so.

Mass hysteria.

We're reopening this thread. Please keep the theology of the Mass out of this post... and discuss the music.

Thanks