The Saint Michael Hymnal, now in its fourth edition, is produced and published by St. Boniface Parish in Lafayette, IN. First printed in 1998, the hymnal is the result of parish pastoral and musical leadership being dissatisfied with the “gradual politicization of traditional hymn texts”. A simple supplement of traditional hymn texts for the parish evolved into a full hymnal. The hymnal has an impressive and comprehensive promotional website. While attempting to write a review of a hymnal without said book in hand is difficult, the website provides a generous amount of information to make a review possible and, I hope, fair. The hymnal is slated for release in Fall 2011.
The Saint Michael Hymnal includes 6 Latin chant Mass settings, 12 English Mass settings, as well as 65 other pieces of service music in Latin, English and Spanish. While Entrance Antiphons are included for Sunday Mass, Lectionary settings of the psalms (Responsorial Psalms) are not included. The hymnal contains nearly 450 hymns, songs, and refrains. In addition to the pew book, a choir/accompaniment book will be made available.
The website clearly lays out the purpose of the hymnal: “to promote the musical treasures of the Church’s tradition and to maintain unadulterated language in traditional hymns”. While promoting musical treasures of the past, the editors are also to be commended for their willingness to include some musical treasures of the moment. They note that “some songs that have been judged less worthy from a professional musician’s point have view…..have become part of the Catholic identity in this country”. Songs from the past decade or two that have taken on a sentimental, devotional character – Be Not Afraid, or How Great Thou Art – appear side by side with the devotional or sentimental favorites from decades past, songs like Bring Flowers of the Rarest and Long Live the Pope. Additionally, the editors mention that a guitar edition will be made available in the future. It’s fair to say that the editors strongly hold to a certain philosophy and vision, but they are realistic and pragmatic. They note that “The Saint Michael Hymnal is predicated on the belief that what is most useful at the present time is a hymnal which provides for taking a decisive step forward, rather than one which prematurely tries to achieve the final goal.”
While stating that the hymn texts are unadulterated, authentic, original, orthodox may make for good marketing, such statements also make for hungry hymnal reviewers, ready to pounce. I would have rather seen the editorial approach employed described as using traditional language associated with the hymn. To be clear, what is unadulterated and original in many instances is the language used, not the text itself. Perhaps the editors did not wish to suggest that truly authentic versions of the hymns have been included. But, alas, we find ourselves in a time when words like unadulterated, authentic, original, traditional are code language for “orthodox”; we need to be very careful here.
In regard to authenticity, I doubt very much if all 26 stanzas of F. B. P.’s Jerusalem, My Happy Home – replete with all the “virgins bearing their parts” – are contained. Pray Tell posts have already captured the textual issues surrounding Faith of Our Fathers. Students of hymnody know that some of our most favorite and beloved hymns – There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy, for one example – have come to us only after a lengthy editing process.
The retention of unadulterated and traditional language allows for a generous use of thee and thy. Perhaps it is unfortunate that most other hymnal publishers have agreed that even occasional usage of “archaic language” is unacceptable. An occasional or mildly generous sprinkle of this type of language can be one more spice in the pot; I would hope that most of our congregations are allowed to encounter a variety of textual styles and forms. Clearly, not all the hymns and selections in the hymnal use this traditional language, but I wonder if there is a disconnect between use of thee and thy in hymnody and the use of you and your in the Mass texts? While Liturgiam Authenticam invites us to become more comfortable with a certain manner of speech considered somewhat obsolete in daily usage, one would think this should apply proportionally to all parts of the liturgy. If the Missal translators felt you and your were sacral enough, why must the hymns go one step further?
The list of hymns indicates that gender neutral words have been replaced with original language terms. The familiar Sing with All the Saints in Glory has been restored to Sing with All the Sons in Glory. Good Christians Friends, Rejoice has returned to Good Christian Men, Rejoice. To be certain, the last few decades have seen some unfortunate translations and revisions of hymn texts. Sadly, somewhere along the way inclusive language became a derogatory term and its advocates were seen to represent a certain segment of the Church. Whether it is ironic, or just, or unfortunate, those who advocate for restored language are now seen as a threatening segment of the Church. Some are threatened by one group wishing to push ahead on language issues; some are threatened by one group wanting to push back on language issues. However, we can say that, by and large, the proponents of inclusive language have won the day. Whether it is in civic life, like road construction signs – Workers Ahead as opposed to Men Working – or in the liturgy, inclusive or gender neutral language has become the norm in this country. The United States bishops have for the most part used inclusive language in all of their communications and in nearly all of their liturgical texts since the mid 1980’s. I was happy to see that no place in the promotional materials on the website did the editors launch into a tirade against inclusive language. For this, I appreciate their charity. No one can truly say they are against inclusive language. But one can be rightfully be against erroneous, inexact or inelegant translations.
Notable on the website are two lists: one lists the titles new to this edition of the hymnal, the other lists the titles deleted from the previous edition. 102 titles have been dropped from the previous edition. Schutte, Proulx, Haas, Berthier and the Taizé Community, Joncas, Deiss, Haugen, Gabarain, Foley, DuBois, Westendorf, Elgar, and other equally diverse composers have had some of their selections eliminated. Likewise, traditional Spanish songs, traditional or devotional Latin selections, Lutheran chorales, American folk melodies, psalter tunes, traditional hymns and contemporary classics were also trimmed to make room for new titles. One wonders if the omission of congregational staples like Blest Are They; One Bread, One Body; I Am the Bread of Life; The Cry of the Poor; and numerous others have been eliminated for musical/textual reasons or because of copyright agreements with other publishers.
107 new titles are included. Significant among these additions are a number of Spanish texts set to traditional tunes, examples include El Señor Resucito (EASTER HYMN) and Que Niño es Este (GREENSLEEVES). The possibilities these additions allow for in congregational singing are intriguing and exciting, perhaps allowing for texts to be sung in alternation or simultaneously. New additions also include a surprising number of old standards that one would have thought were in previous editions: Blessed Jesus, At Thy Word (LIEBSTER JESU), Comfort, Comfort Ye My People (BOURGEOIS), Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether (UNION SEMINARY) and many others. MICHAEL and ENGLEBERG are introduced and so are HOLY MANNA and BEACH SPRING. Once again, appreciation is expressed for acknowledging the variety of hymn tunes our congregations should be singing.
The list of contents features more than 40 titles in Spanish and more than 60 titles in Latin. A number of the Latin pieces are compositions from the Taizé Community. I would imagine there is actually quite a bit more Spanish and Latin in the hymnal than the list of titles indicates. Adeste Fideles does not appear on the list of hymns but the text appears with O Come, All Ye Faithful; a Spanish translation of this hymn is also included. The generous amount of Latin and Spanish contained is truly impressive and the editors should be commended for this.
A number of sample pages appear on the website. The hymnal was engraved by World Library Publications, and these pages show forth the beautiful and elegant music engraving we have come to expect from WLP. The sample page of At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing (SALZBURG) shows a (necessary? fussy?) courtesy accidental in the penultimate measure. (Trivial, yes; but as these last few months have seen Pray Tell posters quibbling over the proper use of commas and capitalization, shouldn’t musicians be afforded the chance to discuss what constitutes extraneous or helpful music editing!)
The chant selections in the hymn section appear to have been engraved with proportionate note spacing, as opposed to the rhythmic groupings found in the Roman Missal engravings. Both four line square notation and five line round notation will be used for chant selections in the hymnal. The website speaks to the plusses and minuses of both notations. Holy God We Praise Thy Name (GROSSER GOTT) includes three English stanzas and two German stanzas; once again we see the dangers of touting one’s authenticity and orthodoxy: where is the (admittedly frequently dropped) stanza beginning Lo, the apostolic train in order that a more complete version of the venerable Te Deum be presented to the faithful? And for the truly curious: the repeat of the final eight bars has been indicated but the “received tradition” of ornamenting the melody of the final phrase has rightly not been captured in print; some things are best left for free spirited congregations to do of their own accord!
The hymns are arranged in alphabetical order. A question: is there a liturgical/theological philosophy behind listing hymns alphabetically as opposed to grouping them topically? I think so. Perhaps it is fair to that say that some of us see liturgy primarily as the glorification of God, while others see it primarily as the sanctification of humanity. Of course, most of us adhere to both, while tending toward one. Could it be that the sanctification crowd is most comfortable in the themed world, with music and preaching leaning toward topics such as kingdom, discipleship, hope, ministry, or the seasons of the liturgical year? These are the very topic topics they love to see at the top of their hymnal pages. The glorification crowd slants towards the doxological; while not eschewing social causes or personal holiness, the Sunday morning experience is primarily ordered to the praise and worship of God, and the hymnal is seen as a compendium of praise.
Of the 18 complete masses in the hymnal, six are identified as Gregorian Chant Mass Settings, six as English Chant Mass Settings and six as English Metrical Mass Settings. As previously mentioned, 65 additional service music selections are included. OCP’s Heritage Mass is included, as well WLP’s People’s Mass by Vermulst/Proulx. The Proulx/O’Connor Missa Simplex and the Warner Mass of Charity and Love are also held in copyright by WLP. Seven Masses are available for purchase directly from the website. It appears that for a mere $10.00 one can purchase a congregational card which may be reproduced as needed and for another $10.00 one can download a full score for the organist, director and choir with permission once again being given to make as many copies as needed. This seems quite generous to me, both in terms of the cost and in the quality of what is being offered. Richard Rice offers an English language chant Mass; he also was responsible for creating the Entrance Antiphons for the hymnal. The settings by Michael O’Connor, OP and James McGregor draw inspiration from a number of sources: chant, themes from Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Ukranian tones and French melodies. These settings are clean to the eye and ear; they are simple, direct settings of texts of the Ordinary. As these next few months will find us casting our nets far and wide in search of new Mass settings, we would do well to examine these settings.
The Saint Michael Hymnal, so says the website, is currently being used in hundreds of parishes. Linda Schafer, originator and editor of the hymnal, cannot give “an exact figure” of the number of hymnals sold – not exactly the words a copyright administrator at a lending publishing house wants to hear – but says that sales are in the tens of thousands. As music in the Catholic Church continues to broaden in scope (a good thing) while camps of church musicians continue to entrench (a bad thing), the Saint Michael Hymnal reaches out rather than restricts. The editors have a direction and vision, and they are ready to welcome others on the journey. Of course, the main selling point for this hymnal is the traditional language employed in many of the hymns; personally I thought the debate around traditional versus contemporary language in hymnody was a barque that hath already saileth. The Lutheran Book of Worship published back in 1978 is acknowledged as the hymnal that set the model for hymnal editors to follow. Most Christian denominational hymnals in this country still adhere to its editorial principles. But the editors of the Saint Michael Hymnal clearly feel there are still those who desire more traditional language in hymns.
While not ready to put the Saint Michael Hymnal in my pew, I am ready to place it on my shelf alongside other mainstream Catholic hymnals. This hymnal deserves a second review on this site when the book is published. In the meantime, let us respectfully discuss the merits of the approach taken by the editors who deserve our thanks for their graciousness and unique vision.
Michael Silhavy is a graduate of Saint John’s University School of Theology•Seminary and program staff member for the Collegeville Conference on Music, Liturgy and the Arts. He is a chancery staff member of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
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