Liturgical Music/Responsorial Psalm Question

[sr.christinaosf]

Does anyone know if musical settings for responsorial psalms need prior approval before use in the liturgy? Sometimes, I'm not fond of a psalm tone in the book we use and would like to implement another (Perhaps utilizing a different familiar melody).

What about chanting (making up melody) for entrance and communion antiphons?

I work at a home for the elderly and disabled, and using sophisticated, unfamiliar melodies is not practical.

Thank you.

[Luigi]

If the psalms are printed in a hymnal, then the congregation can sign them from the hymnal without any special permissions. However, if you print them in a document (liturgical aid, pamphlet, whatever you want to call it), then permission is required - at least, that has always been my experience. 

I don't think there's usually a charge for the permission, but check with the publisher. 

As for substituting a familiar melody, that's actually a long-standing tradition in a number on non-Catholic Christian denominations, and Catholic hymns, too. If  you look at a hymn in the hymnal, just above the music (and usually to the right), you might see a series of numbers: 7 8 7 8 , which means that the first line has 7 syllables, the second has 8, the third has 7, and the fourth has 8. (Others in The Pham can correct me if I'm wrong - it might be the number of stressed beats in the music.) Therefore, those words could be sung to any melody that has the same pattern.

Additionally, usually underneath the printed music, you'll often see the tune's generic name. For instance, the well known hymn Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow uses a melody called Old Hundredth. The same melody is now often used at funerals for the Song of Farewell (I Know That My Redeemer Lives).  

There's probably a thoroughly trained liturgical musician in your diocese who could give you more insight and guidelines than I can; or look for a weekend workshop about it. But in general, what you want to do is possible and permissible. 

[chrysostom]

Making up the melody for an entrance and communion antiphon is totally fine. I've known it to be done many a time.

If the substitute psalm melody you use is written by someone else, and it's not in the public domain, and you want to print it out, then yes, you'd need permission/licensing.

No permission needed if:

a) you're not printing it out

or

b) it's in the public domain

I've been at Masses where for all the psalms they just use the traditional psalm tones (originally for magnificat and such). Very simple, a few notes up and down. That being over a thousand years old, very much PD.

Here's a page where a few composers have shared their psalm settings for totally free use. https://www.ccwatershed.org/chabanel/ Since you mentioned "unfamiliar" was out of the cards, though, this might not work. But sometimes these might be useful, the styles range from sophisticated to extremely simple.

[sr.christinaosf]

Thank you, all.