Is there any reason the latest (1974?) Graduale Romanum is not online? It would sure be nice to have a PDF...I know there's an index of the Sunday propers, but to have the actual book, especially for weekday propers...
Look, none of these chants are in copyright. Neither are the engravings of the chant. The particular book in which all this stuff appears could be said to be copyright protected but that is a pretty thin claim that would not go anywhere in court. So why isn't it online? We are just trying to be polite here. The GM Solesmes gave us explicit permission for; the GR it has not, but then again I've not actually asked. I pushed the Triplex and there was resistance. The GR could be posted.
Jeffrey, are you sure about the engravings being unprotected? They aren't the same as the ones in the 1961 Graduale Romanum, although they are close reproductions.... And then there are the 25-odd chants that are new with the '74 Graduale, published with the rhythmic signs of Solesmes. Wouldn't it be a copyright violation to even re-typeset this last group?
I'm not sure, no. It is unclear. In this whole copyright business, the best approach is to to come to some kind of agreement. This has been my hope. But I think our friends at Solesmes are not entirely up to date on the merit of open sourcing.
Solesmes would be the holder but Solesmes is not unlike many large and old institutions. There are younger people who get digital media and older people who do not. But the older people are the ones with the final decision-making authority.
The pope is down with the iPad. Monks can't be far behind.
For the record, I love my physical copy of GM more than the PDF... but I'd have neither if it weren't for finding the PDF (and other treasures) on this very website.
I'd like the Graduale Simplex online... trying to find chant resources for my country parish in the middle of Wyoming. I myself and three or four others could sing the stuff from the GR, but my pastor wants something shorter and simpler for the sake of the congregation. I have the SEP (which is fantastic!!!) but I need stuff for Good Friday, as well as sometimes needing the gradual and tract for different things.
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