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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • Complete Kyriale on Modern Staves!

Jeff Ostrowski · May 2, 2019

VEN TODAY, masters of the Gregorian Repertoire can be found. One example is Dr. Horst Buchholz, who currently serves as choirmaster at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, Missouri. He has many talents. For example, Dr. Buchholz can look at Gregorian notation and immediately create beautiful organ accompaniments—and I’ve seen him do it. Most organists agree that if one chooses to accompany plainsong, Dr. Buchholz’s approach is the best. Were I to attempt such a thing, I would probably “cheat” by using this marvelous edition by Dr. Karl Weinmann, printed on modern staves:

    * *  PDF Download • GREGORIAN KYRIALE on Modern Staves (94 pages)

It was first printed in 1909. A century later, we scanned the book and placed it online. You can read the Preface in English thanks to Dr. Janya Martin.

84727 modern staves GREGORIAN


In a certain sense, I feel Dr. Weinmann really did create a powerful tool in 1909. On the other hand, it might be dangerous—because it will prevent singers from learning how to read Gregorian notation properly. By the way, this book never caught on because of a certain “situation” that developed involving a quarrel between the Solesmes monastery and the Sacred Congregation of Rites—but that’s another story for another day! The final result: Rome officially stopped any publisher from printing “modified” versions of the Editio Vaticana, and Weinmann’s edition certainly does modify the neumes by making the Porrectus (“flexus resupinus”) easier to read.

One thing cannot be doubted: This “inexpensive choral edition” (as the Preface refers to it) must have required a tremendous effort to produce, especially in such a beautiful and professional way.

If you visit the St. Jean de Lalande Library of Rare Books, you can download the complete Graduale by Weinmann: all 678 pages!

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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Jeff Ostrowski

About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski
15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski
15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“We decided to entrust this work to learned men of our selection. They very carefully collated all their work with the ancient codices in Our Vatican Library and with reliable, preserved or emended codices from elsewhere. Besides this, these men consulted the works of ancient and approved authors concerning the same sacred rites; and thus they have restored the Missal itself to the original form and rite of the holy Fathers.”

— ‘Pope St. Pius V (Quo Primum, 1570)’

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