Views from the Choir Loft

Adding More Spaces around Bar Lines in Gregorio

Veronica Brandt · September 17, 2022

GREGORIO is a handy instrument for typing up Gregorian chant. While installing the software can be daunting, Source and Summit have an Online Editor called the Illuminare Score Editor. It has a handy web interface to process the GABC code which Gregorio uses to produce PDF or EPS files.

GABC files can be downloaded from Gregobase for the majority of chant in the Liber Usualis and other staple books of chant. This is a fantastic aid to making printed choir materials.

However, the more keen eyed publishers will want to adjust the spacing sometimes. The way to do this is not very obvious, leading some to resort to Photoshop or Inkscape to make adjustments.

Here is an example:

(c4) A(g) test(g) case(g) (:) to(g) add(g) more(g) space(g) (::)

which gives:

Firstly, you can add extra blank syllables, either ~( ) or just ( ). The tilde appears in the preview but is rendered as a space in the PDF or EPS output.

(c4) A(g) test(g) case(g) ~( ) (:) ~( ) to(g) add(g) more(g) space(g) ( ) (::)

If those spaces are too big, you can use a tilde ~ to give a more subtle space.

(c4) A(g) ~test(g) case~(g) (:) ~to(g) add(g) more(g) space~(g) ( ) (::)

Or if you want even more space, you can add ( / / / ) with as many slashes and spaces as you need.

And here is a screencast I made while figuring this out.

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

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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).

“Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). 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 feasts website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon

This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly

Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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

Antiphons Don’t Match?

A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).

—Corpus Christi Watershed