Credo VII appears in the 1961 Kyriale, I suspect that it does not appear in the Graduale and L.U. because of the trouble of changing the page numbering, index and layout. Why it does not appear in the modern books I have no idea.

Umm, there's also the fact that the PBC also includes chants outside of the Kyriale . . .

I'm still holding out for the reprint of 1957's Mass and Vespers.

Overall: the PBC has a consistent layout and chant engraving, whereas the St. Antoine Kyriale uses different engraving styles and different fonts, it has periods after titles and something goes wrong with the hyphens in the lyrics (compare the three Ite missa est on p. 16 for example). These may seem minor issues, but to me they reflect the quality of editing. I also noticed that the St. Antoine Kyriale sometimes has doubled the translations: one above or below the chant, and an additional one inside the engraving, directly below the lyrics (see p. 5 for example). I wouldn't send it to the printer like that.

What do you think of the criticisms of the Parish Book of Chant (PBC) in the article?

Starting Pitches • The Parish Book of Chant lacks starting pitches; those who sing from the “Ordinarium Missae” on a regular basis appreciate how handy these are.

Maybe starting pitches are handy for music directors who don't read chant notation on a regular basis. Those who would use the PBC or the St. Antoine Kyriale are probably knowledgeable. I don't see the need for these (as do almost all other publishers of Gregorian chant).

7th Credo • The Parish Book of Chant lacks the medieval Credo VII (one of the best).

Credo I and III got my parish covered. Maybe we learn Credo IV one day. I don't see any need for Credo VII, especially because all other modern chant books choose to omit it.

Vidi Aquam Psalm Tone • The Parish Book of Chant does not provide an optional psalm tone version of the “Vidi Aquam” for the repeat—which means the priest has to stand there for a long time waiting.

If you are in need of a shorter or simpler antiphon for the Sprinkling Rite during Easter Time, why not use the alternative melody provided in the Liber Cantualis #29B? That might also be something to add in a future edition of the PBC, just like the alternative tune for the Asperges on p. 35 of the PBC (which is lacking from the St. Antoine Kyriale).

Confusing Numbers • The Parish Book of Chant uses a “double” numbering system which is inelegant and extremely confusing.

Maybe he refers to the numbers of the chants and the page numbers, I'm not sure. I don't find these confusing at all. "Asperges me, #23 on page 34" sounds helpful to me.

Ineffective Headers • The Parish Book of Chant uses headers at the top of each page which are poorly done, repeating “Parish Book of Chant” over and over again.

The right pages in the PBC indeed read "Parish Book of Chant"; the left pages capture the section title. It could be an improvement for a future edition if the pages would be headed by section titles and subsection titles subsequently.

Cost • The Parish Book of Chant costs $22.00 per copy, whereas the Antoine Daniel Kyriale costs $5.99.

The $5.99 at Lulu is without VAT and without shipping. The hardcover PBC has 341 pages and a complete set of chants, also outside the Kyriale. Especially the chants for the Order of the Mass are very welcome for any OF parish using Gregorian Chant. The softcover St. Antoine Kyriale only has 126 pages and is restricted to chants of the Kyriale.

Perhaps they were looking for a less expensive option for their parish that only included the Kyriale and then just decided to make it available for any others in that situation. I'm thinking that the Kyriale put out by Paraclete Press might be a good hardcover option if ordered in bulk (and discounted from the $17.95 price). https://paracletepress.com/products/kyriale?_pos=1&_sid=88f578a83&_ss=r

I must admit that I'd be leery of purchasing a softcover book for use every week. I'm guessing it just may not hold up over time.

I remember being very excited about the first edition of the PBC. One of the key things for me was the addition of the inclusion of the English translations for all the chants and the addition of several more than were included in Paraclete's Liber Cantualis (which I think was probably the inspiration for the PBC). Plus, the cost was quite a bit less when ordered in bulk, as I recall.

One thing that I didn't notice before is that they have the audacity to criticize PBC's heading style, which uses "Parish Book of Chant" on one page and the section in question on the facing page, when their own book simply reprints the heading from one page onto the other. One wonders how this is an improvement in any world.

I remain perplexed at how a low-effort copy-and-paste resource like this could actually be marketed as a serious product. Only by CCW, I suppose. And knowing them, there will be a new edition in four months anyway.

It's sad to see Jeff trying to tear down the PBC... especially when it's such a great resource, and so well produced. To compare a smyth sewn hardcover to a perfect bound Lulu print as if they were even remotely equivalent is crazy. In the Cathedral music office, anytime we ever received a book that was perfect bound, we cut the binding right off and coil bound it. Perfect binding just isn't helpful for anything that will be used more than once as it won't lay flat without breaking the binding.

If his publication was legitimately an improvement, that would be one thing, but the advantages he lists are all invalid from my perspective, and is just another example where I associate his organization with sensationalism and low quality...

I remain perplexed at how a low-effort copy-and-paste resource like this could actually be marketed as a serious product. Only by CCW, I suppose.

I associate his organization with sensationalism and low quality

Just quoting these for emphasis.

I think we ought to be clear that there are things which CCW (or those associated with CCW) do quite well and which are of value. It may be that the Kyriale they have put together meets a particular need and is good in that capacity. I wouldn't compare it to PBC - it is apples to oranges in that respect.

Years ago, SSPX put out a Kyriale (Angelus Press) which was thin and hardcover. Of course there are other Kyriales that have been published from time to time... books that may have been better points of comparison for the marketing.

That said, there is just as much to be said against implying that everything that CCW does is poorly done (not referencing any particular comment, just a general observation) as there is with attacking PBC using silly points of comparison.

CCW does have some good resources on their site. Some people find value in their hymnals / missals. I've heard really good things about the Symposium (which is not directly CCW, but is connected to the president of CCW). So good on them for those things. Bad on them where they cross the line with comparisons that aren't valid.

We work hard for the greater glory of God (presumably). We do good things and build some very nice resources / books / events (presumably). Good on us for those things. And bad on us when we cross the line in the other direction.

To sing Vidi aquam with one melody before the blessing and sprinkling and another melody afterward seems a strange procedure to me. No, don't do that. Sing the authentic melody twice, or sing a simplified version twice. Changing melodies in the middle of a piece gives the impression of a desperate last-minute change.

Admittedly, it would save 40 seconds, and maybe the priest perceives that as "a long time". Maybe he needs to switch to decaf.

How juvenile is it, to try to make your own brand of sacred music, for crying out loud, shine by constantly sniping at everyone else's?

This publisher has proven himself, shall we say, opinionated on the subject of the accompaniment of Gregorian chant. And by golly, if you aren't faithfully reproducing the "Nova Organi Harmonium" school, you might as well commit ritual seppuku.

Look - everyone's going to have their preferred approach, as well as their preferred resources. They're going to have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, I know that the arrangements of the hymns in both editions of the Traditional Roman Hymnal have been - less than stellar. Myself and quite a few musicians in the Society acknowledge this. But I understand why they have to use those, and on the plus side, I find the selections of chant and hymnody to be among the best of any modern hymnal put out for congregational use. Others may prefer the Adoremus, or the Campion, or the St. Michael Hymnals. Cool. I understand why. We learn to choose what books we need on their strengths, and we learn to supply for their weaknesses as best we can. But trying to display another company's weaknesses to your own advantage? That'd be like if Noah's sons, instead of trying to cover their father's 'shame', set up a booth and sold tickets.

shell companies like JPII Institute for Liturgical Renewal, the extremely idiosyncratic editing

This is perhaps what bothers me the most.

1) What on earth is the point of the shell entity? Not to mention the occasional, though conspicuous, pseudonyms.
2) Why do they feel the need to deviate from so very many standard conventions of hymnal editing/publishing?

CCW began, as I understand it, and excels, as a clearinghouse and patron of free, downloadable resources, both new-composed and historical, to be assembled and used at the parish level as needed.

Moving from this model into professionally-produced and marketed materials, one would need to adopt narrower approach and mindset -- e.g., CCW's website could offer fifteen different translations / harmonizations of a hymn for download, and then the user would select the right one for his parish's abilities and needs, but a printed and bound hymnal needs to choose just one or two of each [usually, see below]. Or, if someone typeset a particular chant for them in a different font &c., since their downloads are one-offs, no one would notice, but in a book, it's obvious.

Unfortunately, a lot of the complaints I read about CCW's published materials seem to indicate that the company has attempted to retain, in these marketed collections, the same variety that is possible on the website (cf. the Brebeuf Hymal), and tolerates the same inconsistency that is quite acceptable for separate files available on digital media (cf. this Kyriale).

I wouldn't be without CCW and Jeff's tireless efforts (ESPECIALLY the HUGE archive of fascinating, historical books), but I think their published and bound resources for sale, if I'm reading these critiques rightly, would be better received if a more restrictive and meticulous editorial philosophy prevailed.

And I echo too: market what's good about your product. If you want to mention a "leading competitor" in vague terms, fine, but even Brawny doesn't mention Bounty by name in its advertising, even if it does show a side-by-side of each cleaning up a spill.

The classlessness of CCW is enough reason to not bother buying their books. If you can't focus on the positives of your own product without tearing down another one BY NAME, you probably shouldn't be selling that product.

Can't wait for next month's CCW publication, the Pope St. John Paul II Sunday Gradual for the Extraordinary Form.

"Some might point out that these chants can be found in the Liber Usualis, which is without question a very nice book, as this pdf copy demonstrates. However, the Liber Usualis has a number of disadvantages:

Starting Pitches • The Liber Usualis lacks starting pitches; those who sing from the “Ordinarium Missae” on a regular basis appreciate how handy these are.

7th Credo • The Liber Usualis lacks the medieval Credo VII (one of the best).

Vidi Aquam Psalm Tone • The Liber Usualis does not provide an optional psalm tone version of the “Vidi Aquam” for the repeat—which means the priest has to stand there for a long time waiting.

Ineffective Headers • The Liber Usualis uses headers at the top of each page which are poorly done, repeating the section header over and over again.

Cost • The Liber Usualis costs $76.00 per copy, whereas the John Paul II Gradual costs $25.

Catholicism • The Liber Usualis was not designed to be the most Catholic-est book of Gregorian chant ever made.

Those are some of the reasons why our new publication was necessary."

And then the book is just Liber reprints sold on Lulu.

Were to find DO is the whole point, I should think. If there's time to zone out during the Intercessions one can pick an appropriate key by surveying the entire chant, but if I'm flipping open a book and sightsinging it's reassuring to see that I've penciled in something that worked once before.

Likewise, if I don't have a tuning fork handy for the Communion I very much want to know in what key the organist played the Agnus.

To be fair: I daily check up on his blog, because he has some wonderful contributors on there, and he himself has a lot of interesting info to impart, even if I might take issue with a few of his assertions (not sure if I need to point him in the direction of Mr. Louis Tofari concerning the matter of "dialogue masses" yet or not . . .) And, I am told by a reliable source, the Symposium he runs is top-notch.

I shall limit my comments to this: If my dear friend Jeff O. is trying to grab a market share from PBC, he should be made painfully aware that nobody involved with PBC is getting rich, to say the least. (Janet? Do you know something I don't?) THAT Book of Chant, in an OCP/Omar W./throttle-the-market sense, has yet to be created. Godspeed to 'em.

PPS. I was happy to get the right notes in the right place the majority of the right time. I never EVER want to have to go through the process again for any PBC3, which in any event will only happen if they a) change the Missal translation yet again, or b) discard all the chant books in favor of some new semiological edition. I see neither happening before I am peaceably and happily dead.

has the number of contributors diminished

I've noticed that to some degree, although he enlists quite a few "guest columnists" and some of the old guard is still there (including the always-delightful Veronica Brandt and the always-excellent Lucas Tappan)

God Bless JO, and anyone else who is trying to promote sacred music of the authentic species. My sympathies are with all of you, good marketing or not!

I have come to the point in my music career where money no longer dictates my musical affairs nor my preferences, opinions, or anything else. Old age and treachery (and the devotion to stark honesty and truth) will always win over youth and enthusiasm (and the need to feed a growing family).