Maybe this is unusual in our time when we expect massive change with each new year. But that’s the whole point of the Parish Book of Bank, to assemble timeless music of the faith, music that most Catholics in all places and most times have known. Together this music is like a soundtrack for Catholic life. As I look through it, I’m dazzled at what it contains: all music for Catholic people. If you want music for the schola to sing for specific liturgical purposes, you have to go elsewhere. This is music for the people in the pews — threatened with extinction in the postconciliar period but now rescue with this book.
This is why this book remains in extremely high demand. Whether it is the Marian antiphons, the Te Deum, Crux Fidelis, or the just the canonical ordinary chants of the Mass, these are the songs that make up the core of the popular chant repertoire. If you congregation does not know them, they are seriously missing out on an important piece of Catholic tradition. I’m so pleased that the CMAA has been able to fill the gap.
Get your copies here.