The American Gradual 2020, part I
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,215
    Congratulations to our colleague Bruce Ford for the new edition of his English plainchant collection The American Gradual.

    The previous edition dates back to 2001, and presented proper chants for the Sundays of the church year, as for example in this introit for the Fourth Sunday of Advent:
    image

    The American Gradual 2020, Part I responds to requests from many readers, including on this forum, by adopting conventional chant notation:
    image
    In many cases, but not always, it follows the melodies presented by chant researchers in the edition Graduale Novum, with Bruce's skillful adaptations.

    As Bruce is a musician of the Episcopal Church, the English texts are mostly taken from the psalter of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. They are not translations with Catholic Church approval; but since the GIRM allows other "suitable" songs to be presented in place of the Introit, Offertory, and Communion, there seems to be ample leeway to use these chants in Catholic settings. This volume contains Introits, Offertories, and Communions, while the second volume will contain Graduals, Alleluias, and Tracts.

    The engravings, attractive and readable, are by Felipe Gasper. I'll include PDF examples here from Advent 4 and from this week's Feast of the Sacred Heart, along with the book's contents and introduction.

    The book is available as a hardcover edition from Lulu.

    american-gradual-2008-advent-4.png
    700 x 575 - 47K
    american-gradual-2020-advent-4.png
    475 x 450 - 36K
    american-gradual-2020-advent-4.pdf
    40K
    american-gradual-2020-sacred-heart.pdf
    48K
    american-gradual-2020-introduction.pdf
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    Thanked by 4CHGiffen hilluminar M. Jackson Osborn Kathy
  • RevAMG
    Posts: 162
    Quaeritur: Has the formatting correction been completed? May we start buying copies?
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,413
    This is wonderful and long-awaited.
    I did notice that the psalm of the introit was not followed by Gloria Patri.
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Hard copies are now finalized and ready for order!

    Jackson: An appendix of the book gives the GP for the eight modes. It’s just not written out for each introit.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,413
    One wonders, though, why the Int, Off, and Comm are in a sepaarate volume from the Gr and Alle. This may give to some the eccentric notion that the five propers are not an indivisible unity.

    From where does one order copies and how much are they?
  • madorganist
    Posts: 906
    One wonders, though, why the Int, Off, and Comm are in a sepaarate volume from the Gr and Alle. This may give to some the eccentric notion that the five propers are not an indivisible unity.
    Interesting. I wonder if he intends the second volume at a cantatorium for the soloists only, perhaps sing from a different location, returning to the original usage of those chants?
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • Schönbergian
    Posts: 1,063
    I would say though, Jackson, that there is no real sung substitute for the Introit, Offertoria, and Communio, whereas the Gradual and Alleluia have been supplanted textually by the Lectionary equivalents and cannot be used licitly in English in most Catholic parishes. By contrast, this first volume can be used licitly "as is."
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,467
    since the GIRM allows other "suitable" songs to be presented in place of the Introit, Offertory, and Communion, there seems to be ample leeway to use these chants in Catholic settings.
    Chonak, that observation is incomplete; for example GIRM(US) 48. says
    ... another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.
    for Canada, 48. says
    and whose text has been approved by the Conference of Bishops of Canada.
    But to look on the bright side, we do not have to run it past CDWDS or Una Voce.
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