Differences between graduale romanum and liber usualis
  • I noticed at Mass for the Chair of Peter last night, that the asterisk at the end of the tract is in a different place in the Liber Usualis than it is in the Graduale. You can see the tract from the Liber here and from the Graduale here. Scroll to the bottom of each, and you will see that in the Liber, the asterisk comes just before the final word, but in the Graduale, it comes under the half bar, right before the phrase, "et in cælis".

    I was just curious whether anyone knew why this might be, or whether there are any other differences between chants in the Graduale vs. Liber Usualis.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,789
    I now sing from a Graduale 1924 printing, most of the other members of the choir sing from either 1930 or 1950's L.U. So we find the differences, If only I had listed them.

    Anyway from memory, the major difference with the Graduale is it contains fewer mistakes than the L.U. But there are a number of differences in the position of the asterisk (around 4 chants) and in the rhythmic markings, Horizontal episemas are particularly effected, although they are not always consistent between the various editions of the L.U.