Useful literature
  • mscamardo
    Posts: 1
    Is there any publication that may act as a guide for a new music minister displaying appropriate chants for specific liturgical times of the Catholic church year? I am newly hired in a position which has been vacant for over two years. One of my goals is to organize the music library as well. Could you more experienced music ministers offer any suggestions? Grazie!
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    The Graduale Romanum would be the book I would recommend first. The Palmer-Burgess Plainchant Gradual is essentially the Graduale Romanum but the texts are in English. That would be a second place to start. The thing about "appropriate chants for specific liturgical times of the Catholic church year" is that the Church has already specified all of this for us, and it has all been organized into one book: the Graduale Romanum. Which edition you would need depends on what form of the Latin Rite you need the chant for. If you are celebrating the EF, you will need a pre-1974 version of the Graduale Romanum, since the book was updated that year to reflect the Novus Ordo calendar. If you are celebrating the Novus Ordo (OF), then you will need the 1974 version of the Graduale Romanum, again since that is the year the book was updated to reflect the revised calendar. This is all getting more confusing, I know, but you have another choice if you are celebrating the OF: the Graduale Simplex. This is a book of more simplified chant that was designed specifically for the OF (there isn't really an equivalent for the EF). The sad thing is that this book has been quite ignored: it has some good chant in it. So here's the summary:

    1. If you need chant for the EF: use the Graduale Romanum (pre-1974)

    2. If you need chant for the OF: you have two options: a. the Graduale Romanum (1974 edition, preferred option), or b. the Graduale Simplex (simplified chant book)
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • Elmar
    Posts: 500
    For the OF, a nice alternative to the Graduale Romanum (1974) is the "Gregorian Missal".

    The chants are the same; and while limited to Sundays, Solemnities, and Feasts, the arrangement is a lot more 'beginner-friendly':

    - Below each chant there is an English translation,
    - the orations are included (also with translation),
    - there are references to the readings, and
    - when different chants are to be used depending on liturgical year (A,B,C) they are mostly reproduced where needed (rather than cross-referenced, as they are throughout in the Graduale Romanum).
    Thanked by 5M. Jackson Osborn bhcordova Richard Mix Adam Wood CCooze
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,371
    In English there was a Simple Gradual for Sundays and Holydays, in official translations by ICEL of the Graduale Simplex, long out of print. Currently available is By Flowing Waters, by Paul F Ford, not an official translation but complete. It also has notes on its use. Note: the Simple Gradual ... did not use Gregorian chant, but By Flowing Waters does.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,768
    Oh yes, especially if you don't read Latin start with the Gregorian Missal (top of right column). But to find choral anthems have a peek at CPDL's Category:Sacred_music_by_season and its index to the 1970 calendar.
    Thanked by 3KyleM18 CHGiffen Stella611
  • KyleM18
    Posts: 150
    I agree with the above reference to CPDL.
    Anything that has the proper antiphons as its base (Gregorian Missal, Lumen Christi Gradual, William Byrd's numerous settings, etc.) would work. I'd personally be careful with the Gregorian Missal linked above, as it seems to be the previous one (correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it revised for 3rd Typical?)
    Also, while this doesn't include the tunes, all english translations of the antiphons (RM, GR, and GS) are found in the Society of St. Gregory's "Processional", attached.
    ProcessionalBook (1).pdf
    400K
    Thanked by 2a_f_hawkins CHGiffen
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    Maybe we should start with some questions about the situation in which @mscamardo is working.

    Can you outline whether the parish is already singing Gregorian chant? How many Masses do you direct? Is it a mainstream parish, or a specialized parish in some way? Are the Masses in English? Has the pastor given you any general guidance about keeping the music as it was or about making changes? Is there a choir? Do tell!

    The situation will help us suggest things that will be suitable. Some of the answers above would be appropriate if you were taking directorship of an ongoing program with lots of chant and classic choral music, but trying to leap to such a program in an average parish would just get you protests from shocked parishioners and a big Stop from the pastor. It's important to make changes quite slowly and gently.
    Thanked by 2canadash rich_enough
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,499
    but trying to leap to such a program in an average parish would just get you protests from shocked parishioners and a big Stop from the pastor. It's important to make changes quite slowly and gently.


    Agreed! Success is important and that will only happen if you are gentle in your approach!
  • Rphillips
    Posts: 40
    .
    Thanked by 4canadash ClergetKubisz Olivier rich_enough
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    Yes, canticanova.com is a useful tool.
  • Stella611
    Posts: 112
    msmarcado:

    If your parish doesn't do much traditional music literature yet, but you want to incorporate some, another resource I think is good is "Hymns of the Roman Liturgy". It gives you the latin text/translation of hymns for the church seasons, that you find in the divine office. Some are very common, good hymns to use at mass: hymns like "creator alme siderum" for advent, "Jesu Redemptor Omnium" & "Jesu Dulcis Memoria" for Christmas, "Audi Benigne Conditor" for Lent, "Vexilla Regis" & "Pange Lingua", etc. It doesn't include the music notation for the hymns, but you could easily find most of the more common hymns mentioned in places like the Parish book of Chant, or free online sites like cpdl.org, or other chant books found here on CMAA's site
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