Missa Simplex
Chants of the Roman Missal

Unison Mass in English
for choir and congregation
with organ accompaniment

Based on ancient chants as recommended in the
Third Edition Missale Romanum English edition

music arranged by Jeremy de Satgé
(Catalogue L027)

 
View scores

You may view and listen to all our published scores from this web site. Please note that in order to do this you may have to download some free software called scorch from Sibelius.  This should only take a few minutes and there are on-screen instructions to guide you through the process.

To download the software, click on .  Once you have downloaded the software, return to this page to view the files by clicking on the hyperlinks below. Please also note that the sound you will hear is computer-generated only.  Nevertheless we feel that visitors to the site might find it useful to see the scores.

 

Notes

We are pleased to offer a simple congregational Mass setting based on the chants as recommended in the Third Edition Missale Romanum English Edition.  The translator’s (ICEL) work in preparing chant settings of the English translation has been guided by several principles: -

  • To preserve and recover the tradition of unaccompanied singing in the Roman Rite, since the liturgy “is given a more noble form when celebrated solemnly in song” (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, (SC) 1963);

  • To facilitate “full and active participation by all the people,” which is “the aim to be considered before all else” (SC 14);

  • To take full account of the accentuation of the English language, since “the nature and laws of each language must be respected” in the adaptation of traditional melodies (Sacred Congregation for Rites, Instruction on Music in the Liturgy Musicam Sacram, 1967, 54);

  • To retain vernacular chants now in use where possible, since “there must be no innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them” (SC 23).

Ideally, Missa Simplex should be sung unaccompanied.  However, in order to encourage congregations to sing this as well as choirs, we recommend the light organ accompaniment we have published.

For those interested in the origins of the recommended Mass, the Kyrie is a simple version from Mass XVI, the Gloria from Mass XV and the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei from Mass XVIII.

Missa Simplex is available as follows: -

Title Catalogue Ref

Price
Missa Simplex accompaniment part

L027a

£3.00 per copy
Missa Simplex
melody part on A5 card
(20 copy pack)		 L027b

£5.00 per pack
Missa Simplex
melody part on A5 card
(50 copy pack)		 L027c

£11.50 per pack
Missa Simplex
melody part on A5 card
(100 copy pack)		 L027d

£20.00 per pack
Missa Simplex
melody part on A5 card
(licence to copy unlimited copies overwritten with parish name for single parish use only)		 L027e

£50.00

NB prices exclude postage costs.

Jeremy de Satgé
April 2010

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