E WOULD LIKE to thank Mæstro Gustavo Adolfo Valencia Caro for providing this exquisite book—which is extremely rare—printed in Belgium in 1949. Now that Pope Francis has allowed certain parishes to use the “pre-1955” Holy Week, this book is even more welcome than it otherwise would be. Speaking of the “pre-1955” Holy Week, we hope to make an announcement vis-à-vis the 3rd edition of the Saint Edmund Campion Missal before too long…but that will have to wait for another day.
* PDF Download • HOLY WEEK & EASTER OCTAVE (1949)
—Extremely large PDF file (139MB); 797 pages long.
What a treasure this 797-page book is!
This book is designed for choirs, yet includes the complete Gregorian settings of the Passion of our Lord—I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s very welcome:
Just like the Brébeuf Hymnal, each verse of every hymn is carefully notated, which is wonderful for singers:
The red initials and rubrics are gorgeous:
The red markers for each singer during the Passions are quite striking, and very helpful:
The rhythm is marked according to the “pure” Editio Vaticana, which is still the official rhythm of the Church:
The CANON MISSAE is elegant:
The book demonstrates a prepossessing use of subtle graphics and gentle fonts:
When it comes to the Divine Office, some of the chants are quite intricate—I would need to practice these in advance before attempting them:
Everything required for each Mass is conveniently provided—KYRIE, GLORIA, and so on:
The editors really did think of everything—they even include the “Pange Lingua” of Saint Thomas Aquinas for Holy Thursday, instead of forcing you to consult another book (as some collections do). Just as in the Brébeuf Hymnal, each and every verse is carefully “written out” (notated) directly underneath the musical notes:
