Best Catholic Hymnal for a Beginingish Organist for Sight Reading
  • A_Crabby_Crab
    Posts: 7
    Good evening all!

    I have been envious of my protestant organist friends because they have hymnals that they can practice sight reading out of because they have SATB instead of just the soprano notated. I have only ever seen one Catholic hymnal with SATB and as far as I am aware it is not for sale. Why is it that so few catholic hymnals include the ATB? And where should I go to buy myself a solid hymnal for sight reading and general use in my life as an organist? I don't feel like writing harmonizations for all of them.

    Cheers and God bless you all!

    ~Crab
  • CGM
    Posts: 780
    While it's true that most Catholic hymnals, in their pew editions, have just the melody line, every hymnal that I'm aware of is also available in a choir edition (typically hardbound) and an organist edition (typically spiral-bound), both of which contain the full SATB harmonizations. If you want a book to practice from, I'd recommend, say, the
    Organ/Choir Book (SPIRAL BOUND – this is a two-volume set)

    of the St. Michael Hymnal, 5th edition (see here).

    If you're not averse to printing out millions of sheets of paper, there are tons of hymns available for free here.
    Thanked by 4MatthewRoth A_Crabby_Crab Abbysmum LauraKaz
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 606
    The best hymnal for practicing sight reading is the one you don’t pay for.

    If you have an iPad/tablet you can read off of, OCP has a lot of its accompaniment parts you “preview” at no cost to you.
    Here’s the list of all the music for the 2025-2026 season (which has a great new traditional hymns and Latin “chant” in it: https://www.ocp.org/en-us/missals/TM/todays-missal
  • davido
    Posts: 1,150
    Crab,
    https://sacredmusiclibrary.com/hymnal

    Or
    https://www.stmichaelhymnal.com/purchase/ Organ/Choir edition
    Thanked by 3ServiamScores irishtenor Don9of11
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 641
    Also hymnary.org has scans of its hymns from various hymnals.
  • francis
    Posts: 11,175
    I have digitized the ultimate SATB arrangements which come from the 1940 episcopal hymnal. The voice leading is all spot on. I would not use anything else for hymnody. PM me and you can download it.
    Thanked by 1irishtenor
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