Whereas in the past any publishing project necessarily had to make a choice
as to which "selections" -- out of a host of possibilities -- to put in the
limited space available between the covers of a book, which sometimes
resulted in a bit of a motley variety, the PSALM Liturgical Music Resource
will not have this limitation.
The Liturgical Music Resource Committee, which includes Walter Obleschuk
(OCA), Kurt Sander (ROCOR), Kevin Lawrence (GOA), and Mike Farrow (AOCA),
among others, is on the verge of completing a series of Finale templates and
a manual entitled "Some Specific Considerations on How to Typeset Orthodox
Liturgical Chant", which will soon become available. Working together from
these guidelines we (and by this I mean the entire community of Orthodox
church musicians, both those on this list and those not) will be able to
accomplish things that were heretofore impossible. Shortly we will be making
an appeal to those who are interested in taking on typesetting projects
according to these guidelines. If you are interested in becoming involved,
or if you have music already on your computer that you would like to
contribute, please contact me so that I can pass that information along to
the committee member(s) responsible for coordinating typesetting and music
gathering efforts.
BTW, Kastalsky's "alternative harmonizations" found in the SVS Holy Week
book should not be confused with the "Synodal Choir Obihod" of 1914. The
former come from a separate monograph entitled "A Manual for the Expressive
Singing of Stichera with the Aid of Alternative Harmonizations" (1909). Some
time ago I translated the entire text into English; all that remains to be
done is to work out and typeset the harmonizations themselves, using the
appropriate liturgical texts. While these harmonizations may be considered
too difficult by some, in parishes capable of singing in 4 parts they
provide wonderful opportunities to grace and adorn the divine services,
particularly on feast days.
Vlad Morosan
Project Director
PSALM Liturgical Music Resource
