How to use the Liber Usualis
  • theCebuano_Child03
    Posts: 11
    A good friend, who was a member of a traditional Franciscan institute, offered to teach me a bit on how to use the Liber Usualis. But I still get confused on which page to turn to or what to sing. My Latin isn't that good but I can understand on a rate 4/10. Do you guys have any tips on how I can teach myself how to use it?
    Thanked by 1TheWatcher7777777
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,139
    Carefully!

    Find the Mass by Sunday/feast, date, or occasion. The ordinary is towards the front. If a proper or other chant is in another place, a page reference is given. Benediction chants are towards the back. There is an index — you can your missal to find the introit as needed. That should get you started.
  • ClarkeMitchell
    Posts: 11
    One thing about the Liber Usualis that it is ordered chronologically, so things are more fully shown when it is first used. So there is a lot of extra information given on the first Sunday of Advent, which you are expected to remember for the rest of the year. So to get a sense of the pattern for the Propers of a Mass, it helps to use those things at the beginning as your template for the rest.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,755
    I do wonder if it would be better to use this http://bbloomf.github.io/jgabc/propers.html and then look up each item in the index. If your L.U. has ribbons you can mark it up like that, or use prayer cards, another option is to use colour coded 3M (or other stationery company) semi-sticky labels that were designed just for this type of application.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,139
    I use all of those depending on the need.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • theCebuano_Child03
    Posts: 11
    Actually, I was wondering how to use it for the Divine Office. Does it contain all the sung Psalms necessary? I can pretty much navigate how to use it for Mass.
    Thanked by 1LauraKaz
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,139
    It has the necessary psalms, canticles and texts of festal Vespers, Compline daily, and of the Triduum, including Tenebrae. It has antiphons used for Prime onwards of Sundays and major feasts, but none of the psalms pointed. The Lauds psalms for feasts which include Lauds are not pointed.

    It has Matins of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and Corpus Christi, and Vespers for the octaves of Christmas and especially Easter and of Pentecost are included (which have different Magnificat antiphons each day for these last two)

    For minor feasts which take the daily psalms and antiphons. it is not easy to use at Vespers, because the accents are marked, unlike on Sundays and where the psalms are given by tone which mark only the accents and preparatory syllables used in the tone. It doesn’t have any ferial material, only hymns also used on Sundays, so you need to supply that.
Add a Comment