Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Free Glory To God using the new ICEL translation (Roman Missal)

from patheos.com by Elizabeth Scalia

Having long begged my musician sons to please try to compose a singable, non-bombast-filled-nor-sickly-sweet-nor-plodding “Gloria” to replace the two (just two) versions all of the local parishes have used for at least three decades, I rejoiced to see a new “Gloria” being made available in accordance with the soon-to-be released revisions to the Roman Missal.

I admit, on my first listen of Jeff Ostrowski’s treatment, I was not sure I liked it.

On re-listening a few times, I have decided that the composition itself is pretty good, and I could find myself happily singing this as opposed to the stuff we’re singing now – there is a reverence and seriousness to the piece, but it is not overly somber, and I like that; the Gloria is a perfect hymn of praise – there’s gotta be a little joy in that!

But I am as convinced as ever that no Gloria composed to fit English can fully serve; the Gloria needs the Latin, and I say this as someone who has no particular desire to return to the Latin mass. I’d be very happy with a Mass that was mostly in English, but brought in the Latin for the Gloria, the Pater Noster and the Angus Dei.



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