Free Transcription: In Paradisum
It seems a safe bet to state that it is rather rare to hear ‘In paradisum’ chanted during funerals in novus ordo parishes. Latin plainchant—all but eradicated from the average church in the wake of the liturgical ‘reform’—has to fight for even rare appearances.
The problem, I suspect, is twofold: the first, of course, is the fact that it is in Latin. This ancient language is not only unfamiliar to the hearers, but also to most singers as well, and many presume that the barrier to entry is higher than it actually is. This barrier is not even merely one of comprehension, but something else just as basic: pronunciation. Singers who have not had the pleasure of studying secondary languages will not have the requisite skills to navigate a foreign tongue without guidance. Sadly, many priests of a certain generation are ill-equipped to be of any value here, either.
The second issue is the misunderstanding (and miseducation) of many parish musicians, who are unaware that the treasury of ancient chant should still be actively sung and promoted (thus spake the bishops of the Second Vatican Council). So many malicious things were done in the “name” or “spirit” of the council that were actually never called for that lo these many decades later, our liturgical culture (to say nothing of architecture) has shifted so radically that many musicians have no idea that chanting is even an option. (Add to these the fact that even restoration-minded musicians are often forced to make many accommodations for grieving families attached to the ‘St. Louis Jesuit hit list’, means that traditional music such as In Paradisum is confined to a distant memory of elderly parishioners.)
To help lower the barrier to entry, today I’m offering a free transcription of the original chant into modern simplified chant notation (which can be easily read by any modern musician, as opposed to the traditional ‘square note’ notation) as well as a transcription into english, so that those musicians who are not comfortable singing in latin (for personal or parochial-political reasons) may still sing the original chant melody to a suitable translation, courtesy of the Parish Book of Chant.
These transcriptions are free to all and may be freely distributed as well. I also release my english transcription into the public domain in the hopes that it will spread wildly.
Speaking from experience, the reception at my parish has been a welcome one (especially when I chant it in english first, and repeat it in latin). Immediately following my first funeral which featured this transcription, I was nearly accosted by three eager parishioners who wanted to know “what was that beautiful thing you sang at the end!? We want it at our funerals too!” High praise from parishioners who are not musically educated and who have not heard this type of chant since their childhoods!
And if you’d like to hear the original, here’s a nice monastic rendition:
