The Scottish Hierarchy's Guide for Composers

Here are some excerpts from the Guide for Composers that was drawn up for England and Wales, and has now been promulgated in Scotland also. I don't want to get into a detailed analysis of this document, which is in some places a little problematic, but the following passages give some context for the specimen introits that I will be including in my next post:

"The Processional
14. The Society of St Gregory in collaboration with the Department for Christian Life and Worship (England and Wales) has prepared The Processional a compilation, in English, of the antiphon texts with relevant psalm verses for Sundays and Solemnities as a resource to encourage composers to provide setting of these texts for congregations to sing."

"Entrance Antiphon
42. The antiphons are, as a rule, sentences from scripture for singing by the assembly with psalm verses sung by a cantor or choir. Though the format is similar to the Responsorial Psalm; their function and context, accompanying the Entrance procession rather than responding to the word, suggests a more forthright style. The psalm verses should be taken from an approved translation. A doxology is usually sung at the conclusion of the psalm. The texts of the antiphons can provide a useful resource of texts to composers which might be used in a variety of forms. Consideration should be given to the use of antiphons over a liturgical season or group of Sundays of Ordinary Time. 43. Another hymn or song that is suited to this part of the Mass, the day, or the season may, of course, be sung. It should be recalled that hymns at this point are a recent innovation within the Roman Rite. The closed form of a hymn—regular stanzas with some narrative progression to unchanging melody— means that it does not necessarily sit well with the liturgical action."

[Typography, punctuation and syntax are as published.]