Modern Communion Antiphons

Where Praise & Worship Meets Gregorian Chant

Here is an exciting new collection of Communion Antiphons that puts a contemporary spin on ancient Gregorian Chants. This collection is called Modern Communion Antiphons. I started writing it for the Praise and Worship group at my church. The cool thing about these settings is they are chant-based, blending select Gregorian melodies with modern accompaniment. I previously tried psalm tone settings of the Roman Missal antiphons with my group, but it didn't go far. Not because anyone complained, but because there was no meter. For inexperienced chanters, it was hard to keep it together, and the drummer and guitarist ended up just sitting it out. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But these new settings are metrical, piano-based, with guitar chords. The result is a remarkable collection that will satisfy both modern and traditional liturgical approaches to liturgy. The keyboard/guitar settings are organized into seasonal boxes, and melody files are in a separate box - all available for free here:

Modern Communion Antiphons Dropbox Link

Here is a Youtube Playlist with all recordings of these

***Why this collection? So parishioners who attend modern music Masses can embrace the beautiful chant melodies in our treasury of Sacred Music. They can delve into and benefit from the richness of the Communion Antiphon texts. Music directors can feel comfortable trying this blend of old and new without feeling the pressure to jump into full-on Gregorian chant (yet.) It lays the groundwork for future generations to feel familiar with chant, the ideal music for the Roman Rite. Praise and Worship musicians will have a collection they can feel confident in. This collection can unify both sides of the liturgical divide. It seems to be greater than the sum of its parts.  What are those parts that contribute to this successful pairing?  

• The use of a modern piano accompaniment style.

• These can also be played on the organ.

• The use of the Roman Missal antiphon texts, which will match exactly any missalette in the pew.

• A selection of beautiful chants.

• The use of modern harmonies with plenty of seventh chords. 

• The use of simple quarter and half notes. 

• The judicious use of syncopation in order to serve the emphasis of the text and the flow of the chant.  The avoidance of complicated rhythms merely for the sake of grooviness. 

• Occasional use of shifting time signatures to fit the natural flow of the text From the Roman Missal.

• The adaptation of psalm verses to the exact same number of syllables for each verse, taking the guest work out of the rhythm and making psalm singing feel more like song singing.

• This collection can unify parishes and avoid liturgical differences because it satisfies both sides, the contemporary and the traditional. 

• The entire collection is free and available in this dropbox:

Modern Communion Antiphons Dropbox Link

Here's a few examples:

This first one is based on a beautiful Alleluia melody from the Graduale Simplex.

Here's another one that is based on the Crucem Tuam chant, which is also the basis for Mortem Tuam and the Roman Missal "Mystery of Faith" chants.

Here's one of my favorites, from the Solemnity of St. Peter and Paul. It is based on the chant "Tu es Petrus."

I didn’t realize how possible it was to combine Praise and Worship music with Gregorian Chant until I began writing these antiphons.  Truthfully, I am amazed at how well this marriage is working.  They have the feel of modern Christian Praise music, with the flow of Gregorian chant.  Parish that uses these antiphons for a year will become familiar (perhaps unknowingly) with the following chant melodies, chosen for their enduring beauty and global familiarity:

Gregorian Solemn Tone Mode One

Gregorian Solemn Tone Mode Eight

Crucem Tuam/Mortem Tuam

Alleluia #4 from the Graduale Simplex

Pascha Nostrum (from Easter Sunday)

Lux Aeterna (From All Souls Day)

Tu Es Petrus Christus Vincit

Rorate Caeli Desuper

Ave Maris Stella

Kyrie and Sanctus from Missa De Angelis

Corde Natus Ex Parentis (Of the Father's Love Begotten)

Ave Verum Corpus

Veni Creator Spiritus

The Peregrine Tone 

Getting into the details: When the antiphon is taken from the book of Psalms, the verses are from the same psalm. When the antiphon is taken from the Gospels or any other book, the verses are taken from a general Eucharistic themed psalm, such as psalm 78, or a seasonal psalm. While the text of the antiphons are an exact match to the Roman Missal texts, the psalm verses I slightly adapted to fit a steady simple tone. I felt this was important because it takes the surprises out of the rhythm of the psalm verses, making it a kind of "song" that feels easy to Praise Bands or pianists. This is perfectly "legal," liturgically speaking, as paraphrases of psalm verses are ubiquitous in our hymnals. (The King of Love my Shepherd is, for example). I have tried to be sensitive to the original emphasis of the chant, so that the meter feels natural. With that said, I hope chant purists will understand that it is impossible for the English Roman Missal texts to follow the exact same textual emphasis as the original Latin chants. Finally, while I prefer organ in the liturgy myself, piano is my first and favorite instrument. It has been great fun to write for it.

Check them out and let me know if this is something that you would like to try. If so, let me know how they go!