Cantus varii (1928) available for download

chonak

The chant anthology Cantus varii from 1928 is now available for download from the CMAA web site. 469 pages.

The book's full title is Cantus varii ad Benedictionem SS. Sacramenti, and that indicates the main content of the volume: hymns, litanies, antiphons, often with more than one melody to choose from, suitable for use as part of the rite of Benediction or for devotional use before or afterward.

Besides Eucharistic and Marian chants, the book contains seasonal and sanctoral chants, and an appendix of 130 pages with chants for the Forty Hours Devotion, prayers for various intentions, and excerpts from the Office.

Maybe someone with more experience can explain for my benefit how that last item was used. The book contains all the Invitatory antiphons for the year (seasonal and sanctoral) and the Invitatory psalm tones for use in the morning prayers of the Church; but only that: not the psalms and readings one would need for the Office. Similarly, there are over 30 pages of hymns and Magnificat antiphons for Vespers, taken from the Commons, but only that.

The scanned PDF is available in two formats: a higher-quality version at
http://media.musicasacra.com/books/cantus-varii.pdf
I've added PDF bookmarks to this file for the convenience of readers.

We also have a lower-quality but more compact version at
http://media.musicasacra.com/books/cantus-varii-compact.pdf

Both files are listed on the CMAA web site, at the "Resource lists" page, along with many other downloadable resources.

JonathanKK

Oh my!

janetgorbitz

Thanks again, Richard for putting all that time into indexing the pdf file for ease of use!!!

tomjaw

Excellent, we now have 3 interesting books with the same title...
Below from google books,
Cantus_varii_in_usu_apud_Nostrates_ab_or
Romano-Seraphic (mainly sequences) with other books bound in the back including a supplement for France and a Little Office of the BVM.
Cantus_varii_ad_usum_Congregationis_Orat
Oratorii Domini Jesu et Mariae Immaculate

igneus

Texts of Divine Office hymns are in the pre-urbanian version. At the time the urbanian version was the norm, permission to use the older hymn texts was being granted to dioeceses on individual basis. So it seems the book was intended for dioeceses enjoying this permission.

Tunes of both hymns and Magnificat antiphons often diverge from the 1912 antiphonale.

To the question raised by @chonak :

1. based on my observations above, I understand the hymns and Magnificat antiphons as a "partial reform of Vespers' chant". Those bound to use Roman books and willing to enjoy latest fruits of Solesmes' Gregorian chant scholarship could pick fresh versions of some of the most notorious pieces here.

2. there is a totally different logic behind the invitatories and settings of the Venite psalm: Chants for Matins hadn't been edited since the Pian reform and the publisher probably knew they wouldn't come out any soon (or rather at all). "Can we offer at least something small for Matins? What about the invitatories - a good deal of music for a great part of the liturgical year, while not requiring too much space?"

Josh

My attention was struck by the setting (does anyone know what older chant, if any, it is based upon?) of the famous Sulpician prayer O Jesu vivens in Maria on pages 49-50 of Cantus Varii. Strangely, it omits the phrase "in veritate virtutum" (before "in communione…") and the final "Amen." Being a fool, I have rushed in and inserted both: I reused the musical phrase for "in perfectione viarum tuarum" for "in veritate" and added the usual "Amen" for hymns in mode V. Here it is; I plan to use it at our next Latin Mass, if the choir is agreeable.

name: O Jesu vivens in Maria;
commentary: Ven. Jean-Jacques Olier (1608-1657);
user-notes: Cantus Varii, 1928, alt.;
annotation: V;
%%
(cb3) O(f) Je(e)su,(d.) (,) vi(e)vens(f) in(h) Ma(g)rí(f)a,(e.) (;) ve(fi)ni,(h) et(f) vi(e)ve(d) in(e) fá(f)mu(g)lis(f) tu(e)is,(f.) (;) (z) in(h) spí(h)ri(f)tu(d) sanc(e)ti(f)tá(g)tis(e) tu(fg)æ,(h.) (;) in(h) ple(g)ni(f)tú(i)di(h)ne(h) vir(i)tú(g)tis(fh) tu(f)æ,(e.) (;) (z) in(f) per(e)fec(d)ti(e)ó(f)ne(e) vi(f)á(hg)rum(f) tu(e)á(df)rum,(e.) (;) in(f) ve(ed)ri(e)tá(f)te(e) vir(f)tú(hg)tum(f) tu(e)á(df)rum,(e.) (;) (z) in(f) com(g)mu(h)ni(i)ó(h)ne(f) mys(h)te(g)ri(f)ó(e)rum(f) tu(g)ó(fe)rum,(d.) (;) do(h)mi(i)ná(k)re(h.) (,) om(k)ni(j) ad(i)vér(h)sæ(i) (z) po(j)tes(i)tá(h.)ti(h.) (;) in(f) spí(g)ri(hi)tu(h) tu(gf)o(e.) (,) ad(f) gló(h)ri(g)am(f) Pa(fe)tris.(d.) (::) A(ded)men.(cd..) (::)

winglet

Why are some of the chants' titles marked with an asterisk?

JonathanKK

There is a footnote on p. 3 that says "Cantus ex libris Solesmensibus excerpti asterisco distinguuntur." which is translated elsewhere as "Melodies taken from Solesmes publications are marked with an asterisk."

This is a common thing done in Solesmes books.

The other thing to know is that the things not marked with an asterisk are generally taken from the official "Vatican edition" books, e.g. the Graduale Romanum or the Antiphonale Romanum.

JonathanKK

Skimming through some more just now, an interesting question is also — where do the chants come from, that are not marked with an asterisk?

Maybe they are new for this book, and are thus not designated as coming from previous publications of Solesmes?

Because, I don't see all of them being from Vatican Edition books.

[However, some sections probably also just don't use the asterisks.]

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