St. Meinrad Chant
The Sacred Music Project is featuring the work of Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB, a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey. Fr. Columba received his doctorate in musicology from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome in the Fall of 1963 and has been setting English texts in the Gregorian idiom since the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council.
The settings that are included here are primarily of the proper antiphons of the Mass as given in the current English translation of the Roman Missal (the Entrance Antiphon [Introit], Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Verse and Communion Antiphon), in addition to chant settings of the English ordinary texts of the Mass (St. Meinrad Kyriale) and other various settings.
Because a Gregorian melody is so closely linked to its text it is nearly impossible to effectively insert an English text into an already composed Gregorian melody. Fr. Kelly’s chant settings have been freshly composed for their English texts, emulating the way that the Gregorian melodies match their Latin text. This compositional craft is the fruit of a lifetime of intimacy with the Gregorian repertoire. The English chants draw their inspiration from their Gregorian counterparts in both their modality and and melodic/rhythmic structure. The majority of these chants are of a simpler nature than those found in the Graduale Romanum, although from time to time there will appear settings that mirror the complexity of the melismatic idiom.
The chant settings posted here are a pre-publication release. They are arranged in booklets that are ready to be printed and given to a choir or schola. The booklets contain proper chants offer settings of the antiphons only. The verses, typically sung by a cantor, are not included.
With a new English translation of the Roman Missal pending, the future of the current antiphons is uncertain. It is hoped that these chant settings will be used by those who have an interest in them, and that those who use them will give feedback on their experience. This feedback will be invaluable for future projects that will set the texts of the new translation when it arrives.
The St. Meinrad Chant settings posted here may be used and shared freely. The copyright to the texts is retained by ICEL, and the musical settings are licensed under the Creative Commons, © St. Meinrad Archabbey.