Though we can't do everything, our schola is taking on the challenge of doing a handful of chants and a few polyphony or a cappella harmony pieces during Holy Week and Easter.  One of the Gregorian chants we are doing is the offertory psalm for Palm Sunday, Improperium expectavit.  Before this, the schola had chanted Qui meditabitur, the communion chant for Ash Wednesday.  And then there was the introit Sister and I chanted on Sunday (Laetare Jerusalem).  Parishioners have been receptive to these, except some people have mentioned they wish they knew what they meant, since they don't understand Latin.

So that was one problem I was facing in planning to do the offertory chant for Palm Sunday.

The other problem is that by itself, the chant seems kind of short.  The version I have didn't include a Gloria Patri or a verse-refrain format like the introit had, and maybe offetorios don't (one of the many topics I'm interested to learn more about at the Church Music Association colloquium).  It wouldn't hurt to have a little bit longer piece for offertory on that day. 

I feel that especially for this psalm, it's important people understand the translation because it connects directly to the Reproaches we'll be singing on Good Friday.  So I set the English to a very simple minor chant mode, and am having the men in the schola sing that.  As they hold the last note, the ladies will come in with the Gregorian chant.  The men will join in on the second phrase. 

By the way, I found a nice clean recording of Improperium expectavit on this CD (without being a chant neume-reading expert, it has been a Godsend to find these chants on recordings):