Psalms for All Saints & Souls
Greetings dear reader—
I wanted to quickly call attention to two new offerings for All Saints and All Souls.
The first psalm is a new setting of Psalm 24, “Lord, this is the people that longs to see Your face.” which is based on the Gregorian antiphon, Hæc est generatio which treats the same text:
Next is a new setting of Psalm 23 which uses the alternate option for the refrain, “Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for You are with me.”
This alternate refrain option is particularly well suited to both All Souls, and funerals in general, so this is a great setting to add to your arsenal. The melody of the refrain is based on the traditional requiem chant, Dies Iræ, and is somber, yet hopeful:
For those of you who would prefer the more common refrain, “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.” I have a setting of that, too, although the refrain is more florid than normal, being based on Dominus regit me. We have done this psalm multiple times at my parish, and I promise that people are capable of singing it. (One great tactic is to prelude on the melody of the refrain before Mass, if you want people to have it in their ear before they are asked to sing it.)
As always, thanks for your support, and please share these videos or arrangements on social media! Little acts like this really help this ministry to grow.
Pax,
James
