The Choral Graduale Simplex (English, harmonized SATB plainsong)

Aristotle Esguerra

(This thread will be updated periodically to reflect changes and additions. Send suggestions/errata/comments/complaints/cease and desist notices(?) via private message.)

Below please find links to the latest editions of my Choral Graduale Simplex. Antiphon melodies track the basic contours of those in the Graduale Simplex, adapted to suit the peculiarities of the English language. (I tend to adapt melodies to the language more freely than Dr. Ford and Fr. Weber do for their own English adaptations of the Graduale Simplex.)

161 unique settings in total

Proper of Seasons — complete
Advent & Christmas Time (26 + 6 high-key transpositions; includes Immaculate Conception)
Lent (33 + 4 high-key transpositions; includes Chrism Mass)
Easter Time (28 + 7 high-key transpositions; includes Trinity, Corpus Christi, and Sacred Heart)
Ordinary Time (34 + 6 high-key transpositions; includes Assumption, All Saints, and Christ the King)

Proper of Saints — complete
Feb 2: Presentation of the Lord (6)
Mar 19: St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (3)
Mar 25: Annunciation of the Lord (2)
Jun 24: Nativity of St. John the Baptist (3)
Jun 29: Ss. Peter and Paul, Apostles (3)
Aug 6: Transfiguration — see Lent II
Sep 8: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1)
Sep 14: Exaltation of the Holy Cross (2)
Sep 29: Ss. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels (3)
Nov 2: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed — see Mass for the Dead
Nov 9: Dedication of the Lateran Basilica — see the Common of the Dedication of a Church

Commons
Dedication of a Church (3)
Blessed Virgin Mary — see Mary, Mother of God (all options)
Apostles (3)
Martyrs
Holy Men
Holy Women

Ritual Masses
Nuptial Mass
Religious Profession

Masses for Various Needs and Occasions
Anniversary of a Pope or Bishop
For Vocations
For Christian Unity
For Peace and Justice to Be Served
For Any Need

Votive Masses — complete
Holy Trinity — see the solemnity
Mystery of the Holy Cross — see the feast
Most Holy Eucharist — see the solemnity
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus — see the solemnity
Holy Spirit (2)

Mass for the Dead (9)

Also available: Four Ad Libitum Communion Chants (taken from the above collection)

Antiphon translations are taken mostly from the Processional Book compiled by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (a combination of ICEL and Society of St. Gregory translations); for a couple of settings I have used my own translation. Psalm verse translations are from the Revised Grail Psalter; verse numberings generally reflect those of the Graduale Simplex. Other translations are from the New American Bible. The older translation of the minor doxology ("…world without end. Amen") is used for all Introits and Communions.

Psalm verse layout is similar to that found in OCP's Respond and Acclaim series.

Vocal Ranges:

Soprano: C4–D5 (very rarely a B3 is shared with the alto line)
Alto: G3–G4
Tenor: D3–D4
Bass: G2–C4

Usage:

I consider these pieces emergency music. Novice SATB choirs will appreciate the mostly stepwise motion in their respective parts, while experienced SATB choirs hopefully will find interest in the harmonies generated by these lines. (Altos: I have tried to avoid monotony in your line as much as possible!)

I have been using these as seasonal choir-only pieces with my smaller, less experienced ensemble (2S-1A-1T-1B) with a good deal of success—sometimes fantastic, but always much greater and more quickly than our attempts at learning SATB hymn settings. If people want PDF versions for liturgy programs, please PM me.

Heath

Kudos to Aristotle for an excellent collection! I gave a test-run a couple weeks ago of one of the communion settings and it went over very well . . . some great stuff in here.

Aristotle Esguerra

Ordinary Time compilation now includes Introits, Offertories, and Communions for Assumption and All Saints.

Andrew Motyka

The Archdiocesan Choir of Indianapolis just used the setting of Psalm 110 from this collection for the Investiture and Anointing at our priesthood ordinations this past weekend. It was excellent.

Aristotle Esguerra

Lenten Edition: The translation of the Reproaches now matches that of the 2010 translation of the Roman Missal (Reproaches II).

JulieColl

Congratulations, Aristotle! This is a magnum opus if there ever was one. Looking forward to looking through this, esp. to the intriguing harmonies and captivating chords which are your special trademark. (I remember with great fondness and awe your beautiful organ improvisations at St. Matthew's!)

Aristotle Esguerra

Lenten Edition:

Added three higher-key versions
Changed verse formatting for space savings: every proper except for the Ash Wednesday Distribution of Ashes fits on one 8.5"x11" sheet (previously only the Offertories could fit on one sheet)
Verse numbering has been altered to better match the GS numbering
Copyright acknowledgments have been moved to their own page instead of occupying footer space
Various text-underlay tweaks in verses

Aristotle Esguerra

Easter Vigil–Sacred Heart Edition:

Added Easter Vigil Baptismal Rite Antiphon "Springs of Water"

Ordinary Time Edition:

Added Assumption Offertory II "Hail Mary" with prescribed verses

All editions:

Changed verse formatting for space savings: every proper except for Easter Sunday Communion II and Ordinary Time Communion VIII fits on one 8.5"x11" sheet (previously only the Offertories could fit on one sheet)
Verse numbering has been altered to better match the GS numbering
Copyright acknowledgments have been moved to their own page instead of occupying footer space
Various text-underlay tweaks in verses

JulieColl

These are just lovely, Aristotle. I printed out several of the introits and they are delightful. So glad you put this up since I was asked today for suggestions for the music for a local children's choir. I'm going to recommend we learn these for use at their monthly Mass.

Thank you again for all your hard work.

kevinf

I have used these when applicable as my choir reads parts very easily. These are wonderful in the voice and offer the average SATB group moments of true beauty. As they list expands I will use in alternatim with other resources. The reproaches have become a choir favorite here in the bourbon lands.
I await the Advent season works with anticipation.
A truly lovely resource Aristotle. Thank you for your efforts.

Aristotle Esguerra

Ordinary Time Edition:

Readjusted Alto and Tenor lines of the Introit for Ordinary Time I

Mark M.

Hi Aristotle (and everyone) -- I see this is based on the Graduale Simplex. Could somebody explain to me how this "works" regarding the liturgical calendar? That is, I see in Aristotle's table of contents, "Ordinary Time I," "Ordinary Time II," etc., through "Ordinary Time VIII." So, if I were to use this, would I be free to use any of those selections at my discretion, for any given Sunday in OT?

Also, for the Communion in Ordinary Time VIII, what is mode e?

Thanks… and bravo!

Aristotle Esguerra

So, if I were to use this, would I be free to use any of those selections at my discretion, for any given Sunday in OT?

The short answer is: yes. You may mix and match according to common themes found in the Roman Gradual, Roman Missal, and/or the Lectionary readings. Dr. Ford has a PDF of suggested uses for seasons outside of Ordinary Time in progress, keyed to the BFW index.

But this gives me an opening for a longer answer, so I'll take it.

With the small choir for which I arranged this suite, we're tackling Ordinary Time sequentially. On paper there are 32 Sundays in Ordinary Time that aren't regularly trumped by solemnities (Baptism of the Lord and Christ the King). There are eight Ordinary Time suites in the Simple Gradual. So we're keeping things simple:

• Sundays 2–5: Suite I
• Sundays 6–9: Suite II
• Sundays 10–13: Suite III
• Sundays 14–17: Suite IV
• Sundays 18–21: Suite V
• Sundays 22–25: Suite VI
• Sundays 26–29: Suite VII
• Sundays 30–33: Suite VIII

I took the time to scan through the readings in the Lectionary for all three cycles, and for those who are attached to selecting chants based on the themes of the readings, you can actually get away with this purely sequential ordering (I compared antiphons and verses with the readings). And the repetition would certainly help a beginning/limited choir find its bearings.

My smaller choir has been singing the Simple English Propers weekly for almost two years and has developed a certain facility with those chants, to the point where we only take 20–30 minutes per rehearsal to review them. We are using these arrangements in addition to the SEP, working on the offertories first, then the communions, and finally the introits.

Also, for the Communion in Ordinary Time VIII, what is mode e?

This psalm tone is named as such in the Antiphonale Romanum II (p. 744). It's not given a classification in the Graduale Simplex. (I note upon further examination that my classification is debatable, but I'm sticking to it until convinced otherwise.) The local Cistercian monastery uses this tone, or one similar to it, for their intercessions at Vespers.

Mark M.

What a thorough and generous answer, Aristotle… thanks so much!

Aristotle Esguerra

Lenten Edition: Now includes harmonizations of the O Redemptor (Chrism Mass Offertory*) and the Ubi Caritas (Holy Thursday Offertory**). With these two additions the Lenten Edition is now complete.

*1998 ICEL translation
** 2010 ICEL translation

Aristotle Esguerra

Easter–Sacred Heart Edition: Now includes harmonization of the Easter Introit. The Easter–Sacred Heart Edition is now complete.

Aristotle Esguerra

Advent/Christmas Time Edition: now available (see original post above for link). The Advent/Christmas Time Edition is now complete.

Lenten Edition: Readjusted Alto and Tenor lines of the Ubi Caritas.

Aristotle Esguerra

Alterations to Mode IV melodies & harmonies affect the following settings:

Introit, Advent I
Offertory, Lent II/Transfiguration
Communion, Lent IV
Offertory I, Assumption

Because these are foreign modalities I decided to standardize the harmonizations as much as possible. Please note that the harmonization for Good Friday Veneration of the Cross I remains unique.

(These Mode IV melodies are classified as Mode IV A in the Graduale Simplex and correspond with those classified as Mode II* in the Antiphonale Romanum II.)

Aristotle Esguerra

Identical voice leading at the final cadence is now shared among the following Mode VIII antiphons:

OF Immaculate Conception
IN I Ash Wednesday
OF Fifth Sunday of Lent/Palm Sunday
OF Ordinary Time II
OF Ordinary Time III

Identical voice leading at the final cadence is now shared among the following Mode VIII antiphons:

CO Lent III
IN Christ the King

The Easter Time collection is unaffected by this revision.

Aristotle Esguerra

Common of Apostles

IN: "Their voice goes out through all the world; their message, to the ends of the earth(, alleluia)." (ICEL 1968)
OF: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and has sent me to bring good news to the poor(, alleluia)." (ICEL 1968)
CO: "You who have followed me will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, {says the Lord/alleluia}." (ICEL 2010)

Aristotle Esguerra

Feb. 2: Presentation of the Lord*

AN: "Behold, our Lord will come with power, to enlighten the eyes of his servants, alleluia." (Text and melody: ICEL 2010)
AN: "A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." (Text and melody: ICEL 2010)
AN: "They offered for him to the Lord a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons." (SSG/Public domain)
IN: "Within your temple we recall your loving kindness, O God." (ICEL 1968)**
OF: "Grace is poured out upon your lips; for God has blessed you for ever more." (ICEL 2010)
CO: "It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord." (AAE 2013)

*Feast falls on a Sunday in 2014.
**Antiphon is the same as the Introit of Ordinary Time IV.

Aristotle Esguerra

Jun. 29: Ss. Peter and Paul, Apostles*

IN: "The Lord sent his angel to Peter and rescued him from Herod's power, alleluia." (ICEL 1968)
OF: "You will make them princes over all the world; they will celebrate your name, O Lord." (ICEL 1968)
CO: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church." (ICEL 2010)

*Solemnity falls on a Sunday in 2014.

Aristotle Esguerra

Sep. 14: Exaltation of the Holy Cross*

IN: "We should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (ICEL 1968)**
OF: "The holy name of the Lord is exalted on the Cross: his praise resounds through heaven and earth." (SSG)
CO: "By the sign of the Cross, deliver us from our enemies, O Lord our God." (ICEL 1968)

*Solemnity falls on a Sunday in 2014.
**The GS assigns the Holy Thursday introit to this feast.

Aristotle Esguerra

Common of the Dedication of a Church*

IN: "I will come to your house, O Lord, and I will worship in your holy temple(, alleluia)." (ICEL 1968)
OF: "The house of the Lord is firmly founded on solid rock(, alleluia)." (ICEL 1968)
CO: "My house shall be called a house of prayer(, alleluia)." (ICEL 1968)

*May be used for Nov. 9: Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, which falls on a Sunday in 2014.

Aristotle Esguerra

Mass for the Dead*

IN I: "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them." (ICEL 2010)
IN II: "Grant them, O Lord, eternal rest." (AAE)
IN III: "Open for me the gates of justice; I shall enter and give thanks to the Lord." (GS 1968)
OF I: "My redeemer lives, and on the last day he will renew my life." (ICEL 1968)
OF II: "They shall live in your dwelling place and rest on your holy mountain." (ICEL 1968)
OF III: "In the presence of the angels I will sing your praise, my God." (ICEL 1968)
CO I: "Let perpetual light shine upon them, O Lord, with your Saints for ever, for you are merciful." (ICEL 2010)
CO II: "I heard a voice from heaven saying: “Happy are those who die in the Lord.”" (ICEL 1968)
CO III: "Lord, give me a place in the land of the living." (ICEL 1968)

*May be used for Nov. 2: Commemoration of All Souls, which falls on a Sunday in 2014.

Heath

Aris, the Requiem adaptations are lovely!

Aristotle Esguerra

Sep. 8: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

IN: "Of all women born into this world, none can compare with you, O Virgin Mary." (ICEL 1968)
OF: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women." (ICEL 1968)*
CO: "Blest are you, O Virgin Mary, for you have borne the creator of all." (SSG)*

*As in the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God/Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Aristotle Esguerra

Mar. 19: St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

IN: "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived the Child by the Holy Spirit." (ICEL 1968)
OF: "Jesus went down with Mary and Joseph and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them." (ICEL 1968)*
CO: "The Lord has put his faithful servant in charge of his household." (ICEL 1968)

*Antiphon is from the Gospel for Holy Family, Year C

Aristotle Esguerra

Mar. 25: Annunciation of the Lord*

IN: "An angel of the Lord brought the good news to Mary, and she conceived by the Holy Spirit." (ICEL 1968)
OF: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women." (ICEL 1968)**
CO: "I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me as you have said." (ICEL 1968)

*If Mar. 25 occurs during Holy Week, the Solemnity is transferred to the day after Divine Mercy Sunday
**As in the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God/Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

smvanroode

As of 2006 the solemnity of St. Joseph never occurs during Eastertide.

The earliest date for Easter is 23 March, so it is possible that 19 March falls within Holy Week. When this happens, "it is moved to the closest possible day before 19 March, usually the Saturday before Holy Week. This change was announced by the Congregation for Divine Worship in Notitiae 42, 2006 (96)" (Wikipedia). Before 2006, the solemnity would have been moved to after the Second Sunday of Easter.

Are the Alleluias for Eastertide therefore superfluous?

Aristotle Esguerra

Steven, thanks for that detail about the solemnity of St. Joseph. I'd be inclined to retain the Alleluias for those who might consider using the suite for the optional memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (May 1), though—in light of the readings and Missal/Roman Gradual propers for that day—it would be a bit of a stretch to do so.

Andrew Motyka

As of 2006 the solemnity of St. Joseph never occurs during Eastertide.

I would offer a CORRECT, BUT...

1. The Norms on the Calendar #56 state that St. Joseph, if not a day of obligation, may be moved by the bishops' conference to another day outside Lent. This could be in the Easter season.

2. If your home parish is St. Joseph (or he is the parish's patron), you are allowed to transfer the celebration to a Sunday in Ordinary Time. Obviously, this isn't Eastertide, but it isn't in Lent, either.

smvanroode

Thank you, Andrew. I didn't look at the Norms on the Calendar. You're quite right that according to #56 the solemnity of St. Joseph may indeed occur during Eastertime (at least outside Lent).

Aristotle Esguerra

Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit

IN: "The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world(, alleluia)." (ICEL 1968)*
OF: "Confirm, O God, what you have done for us, from your holy temple in Jerusalem(, alleluia, alleluia)." (ICEL 1968)**
CO: "Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like the rush of a violent wind(, alleluia, alleluia)." (SSG)

Useful for Confirmation Masses at any time of the year. Also, as this suite aligns closely with the chants found in the Graduale Romanum for Pentecost, this may be better suited than the suite designated by the GS for that day.

* Antiphon as in the Introit for Baptism of the Lord (different verses). For those who have downloaded the Advent/Christmas Time volume, the antiphon harmonization has been refined.

** As in the Offertory for Pentecost. For those who have downloaded the Easter Time volume, the antiphon harmonization has been refined.

ClemensRomanus

I'd be inclined to retain the Alleluias for those who might consider using the suite for the optional memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (May 1), though—in light of the readings and Missal/Roman Gradual propers for that day—it would be a bit of a stretch to do so.

The 1967 GS lists the St. Joseph formulary for both March 19 and May 1, though I agree the OF readings don't align.

Aristotle Esguerra

Mass for Various Needs and Occasions — For Peace and Justice to Be Served

IN: "Give peace, O Lord, in our days, for you, our God, are our only defender." (ICEL 1968)*
OF: "Do not abandon me, Lord, my mighty Savior." (ICEL 1968)**
CO: "O give us, Lord, your help in time of suffering." (ICEL 1968)***

* As in the Introit for Ordinary Time VI. Verses 7–10 are especially suitable.
** As in the Offertory for Ordinary Time IV.
*** As in the Communion for Ash Wednesday.

Aristotle Esguerra

Jun. 24: Nativity of St. John the Baptist

IN: "From my mother's womb I was called by the Lord; before my birth God announced my name." (ICEL 1968)
OF: "The child who is born for us today is more than a prophet; this is he of whom the Savior said: Of all born of woman none is greater than John the Baptist." (ICEL 1968)
CO: "You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way." (ICET)

Aristotle Esguerra

Sep. 29: Ss. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

IN: "Bless the Lord, all you his angels; make the day glad with thanksgiving to our God." (ICEL 1968)
OF: "The angel came, holding a golden censer, and stood at the altar." (ICEL 1968)
CO: "All you angels, praise the Lord in heaven." (ICEL 1968)

Aristotle Esguerra

Mass for Various Needs and Occasions — For Christian Unity

Posted on the off chance this may be useful for someone next week.

IN: "I am the good shepherd, I pasture my sheep, and for my sheep I lay down my life(, alleluia)." (ICEL 1968)*
OF: "Those who hope in you, Lord, will not be put to shame." (ICEL 1968)**
CO: "The Lord is my light and my salvation." (ICEL 1968)***

*Same as Easter Season I. Includes Lenten termination.
**Same as Advent Season I.
***Same as Third Sunday of Lent.

Aristotle Esguerra

Lenten Edition: Ash Wednesday antiphon for Distribution of Ashes now uses the 2010 ICEL translation of the Roman Missal.

princehal

Sorry to bump, but has anyone made rehearsal tracks of these?

If not I'll record a few myself... but they sure won't sound like CCWatershed's tracks, I'll tell you that... :)

*Love* these, by the way. My ragtag choir is using these while the schola gets more comfortable with the full chants.

princehal

Oh, come to think of it Aristotle, even if you could possibly just post a collection of midi/sibelius/finale/something files, that would achieve this just as well.

Till then it's ghetto homespun tracks for St. Mary's choir! :D

Again, I can't thank you enough for this work. God bless!

smvanroode

Are the scores of the Choral Graduale Simplex still available, Aristotle? It seems all the links are dead!

Aristotle Esguerra

All links have been refreshed.

Hopefully Dropbox developers will hold themselves to higher standards in the future. And meet them without fail.

bhcordova

Aristotle,

Are these collected into a book that can be purchased?

Aristotle Esguerra

@bhcordova, I currently have no plans to compile these into a single volume.

Mainly because copyright.

But also because the collection remains incomplete.

bhcordova

Too bad, I'd buy it.

CGM

"File not found
Sorry, that file doesn’t live here anymore. It might have been moved or made private."

Looks like Dropbox hasn't met your standard yet.

EDIT: Oh, I see: very sensibly, you're just updating links in the opening post, and not in the various & sundry ensuing entrants in the thread.

lmassery

This project has actually been one of the mos useful antiphon projects for my choir of very average skills. The stepwise motion of the lower parts makes it easier to learn quickly.

TeresaW

Thank you so much!! This has saved our music ministry during the Imposition of Ashes tonight!

noel jones, aago

Just posted this all to Useful Catholic Organist & Choir Links

Especially because of the Mass for the Dead, a great resource for all seeking to decimate On Eagles Wings and Be Not Afraid from use.

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