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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

The modern armchair chant scribes

Veronica Brandt · February 14, 2015

Medieval writing desk N THE BEGINNING, PEOPLE LEARNT Gregorian chant by ear. Later it was transcribed into marks on vellum, painstakingly copied by hand. Then the printing press made paper copies which could be distributed far and wide. Now we have liquid crystal displays interpreting little packets of bits into images of sheet music and lasers fixing little particles of black to sheets of paper in the same images from the comfort of our own homes.

Medieval scribes used quill, ink and a scraper. Today a scattered group of musical technicians (or technical musicians) use GregoBase.

What is GregoBase?

GregoBase is a database of Gregorian Chant, arranged so that you (yes, you!) can log in and proof read the transcriptions and either make corrections or add corrections to the “Please fix” list for other gabc technicians to fix.

There are thousands of scores in the database already, with more being added. Books being transcribed range from the 1908 Vatican Graduale Romanum to the much more recent three volume Antiphonale Monasticum from Solesmes. The Liber Usualis is well covered.

Each score can be downloaded in several formats to suit every desktop publishing requirement. Most also come with a scan of the source page so proof reading can be accomplished even if you don’t have your own copy of the book.

Scores are indexed by first letter (or Incipit), by usage (Introit, Gradual, Varia, etc.) or by source book. There is also a tag system which will allow browsing by feasts and seasons.

Even my mother is using this. You can use this too! Enjoy GregoBase!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Gregorio 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” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 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 the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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

Random Quote

“At the hour for the Divine Office, | as soon as the signal is heard, | let them abandon whatever they may have in hand | and hasten with the greatest speed, | yet with seriousness, so that there is no excuse for levity. | Let nothing be preferred to the sacred liturgy.”

— Rule of St. Benedict (Chapter 43)

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