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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Five ways to print the Propers

Veronica Brandt · July 11, 2015

Albion Press 1830s HE GREGORIAN CHANT PROPERS of the Roman Rite are treasures of inestimable value and so readily available. That is not to say they are easy, but the main difficulties can be 1, knowing which pieces to use when and 2, reading and interpreting the music.

In the first difficulty the easiest answer is to ask the priest who will be celebrating Mass. The second is dealt with in more detail at How to Read and Sing Gregorian Chant – eleven lessons to get you started.

Ideally choir members would do well to have their own copy of the Liber Usualis or the Liber Brevior, and know how to use them. Failing that, the person encouraging them to learn the propers can smooth the way for singers by printing copies of the propers. These can be annotated to your heart’s content.

Five different ways to print the propers:

FIRSTLY you can download and print the propers from Rene Goupil Propers here on Corpus Christi Watershed. This is mainly for Sundays. Just scroll down the desired day and download the scores as needed. This also has recordings of all the music – an amazing resource!

SECONDLY there is another similar collection at the Institute of Christ the King. As above, this one is mainly for Sundays. The main difference is that they lack translations and the music tends to be a little larger.

THIRDLY you could download and print from scans of the Liber Usualis. This may require a little more work, but has all the music you need for the majority of Missa Cantatas.

FOURTHLY you could avail yourself of the Propers Tool. The drop down menu has a list of Sundays to choose from, but also a Custom option at the bottom of the list which allows you to choose the exact piece you require for any day of the year. The default setting is to print everything on one page. This also has the added facility to reduce tunes down to psalm tones for any challenging antiphons.

LASTLY, there is GregoBase. This is a collection of all the chant from the Graduale Romanum and Liber Usualis in a database that permits volunteers to correct any discrepancies in transcription. The most straightforward way to find what you need is “by incipit” or the first few words of each piece you need. Each piece is available in a few different formats. The png format is handy for inserting into word processor files to make your own booklets.

There you have five ways to print the Latin Gregorian Chant propers for the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. I hope it makes the task of bringing the Propers to life a little less daunting.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 22nd in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 31 August 2025, which is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Only against this background, of the effective denial of the authority of Trent, can one understand the bitterness of the struggle against allowing the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Missal after the liturgical reform. The possibility of so celebrating constitutes the strongest, and thus (for them) the most intolerable contradiction of the opinion of those who believe that the faith in the Eucharist, as formulated by Trent, has lost its validity.”

— Cardinal Ratzinger, 2001

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