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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

Can You Spare 33 Seconds?

Here’s an audio excerpt (33 seconds) of a setting for Kyrie VIII which was recorded live last Sunday at our parish in Los Angeles. The setting (“Missa de Angelis”) is by composer Richard Rice, and you can download the free PDF if you click here and scroll to the bottom. I think Richard’s composition is marvelous. I missed a few notes on the organ, but I’ll get them right next time.

—Jeff Ostrowski
5 April 2021 • When Girls Sing

Covid restrictions here in California are still extremely severe—switching “two weeks to flatten the curve” into “two years to flatten the curve.” Since 2020, we’ve had police breaking into our church to check if everyone is wearing a mask…even when only 5-6 people are present! But we were allowed to have a small percentage of our singers back on Easter Sunday, and here is their live recording of the ancient Catholic hymn for Eastertide: Ad Cenam Agni Providi. The girls were so very excited to sing again—you can hear it in their voices!

—Jeff Ostrowski
29 March 2021 • FEEDBACK

“E.S.” in North Dakota writes: “I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all the hard work you have put—and continue to put—into your wonderful website. In the past two years, my parish has moved from a little house basement into a brand new church and gone from a few families receiving Low Masses twice a month to several families (and many individuals) receiving Mass every Sunday, two Saturdays a month, and every Holy Day. Our priest has been incorporating more and more High Masses and various ceremonies into our lives, which has made my job as a huge newbie choir master very trying and complicated. CCWatershed has been an invaluable resource in helping me get on my feet and know what to do!!! Thank you more than I can express! May God bless you abundantly and assist you in your work and daily lives!”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Oh, the happy choir director who is hired to start work on a brand new choir, or who walks into his first rehearsal a total stranger to the existing group—what a fortunate man he is! The new choir director who is a former member of the choir, or a member of the congregation, or the nephew of the alto soloist, or a former altar boy, or otherwise well acquainted with the choir, is in for a few headaches.”

— Paul Hume (1956)

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