Gregorian Chant – do you have a parish Kyriale?

Gregorian Chant Revival

“St. Augustine said, ‘He who sings prays twice.’ Discover resources to restore Gregorian chant’s pride of place in your parish (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 116).”

Key Documents

Vatican II’s Constitution on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, stated that Gregorian chant was to retain “pride of place” — “a phrase echoed by Pope Paul VI in Musicam Sacram (March 5, 1967) and repeated in the current General Instruction of the Roman Missal. (no. 41)” (How can we restore Gregorian Chant to “pride of place”? adoremus.org)

Chant Books

A Kyriale is a Gregorian Chant Mass hymnal booklet

Other Chant Books

Organizations

The Church Music Association of America (CMAA)

  • Another excellent organization with many available resources to help your parish develop its sacred music program.  
  • “The Church Music Association of America, founded in 1874, is an association of Catholic musicians and others who have a special interest in music and liturgy, active in advancing Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and other forms of sacred music, including new composition, for liturgical use. The CMAA’s purpose is the advancement of musica sacra in keeping with the norms established by competent ecclesiastical authority.”
  • The CMAA makes many resources available for free to help parishes and liturgical musicians learn more about the Church’s beautiful tradition of sacred music. Visit the CMAA’s website to see music scores which are available for free, information about sacred music, recordings of sacred music, and more.
  • The CMAA holds an annual week-long Sacred Music Colloquium. There are rehearsals and workshops throughout the week, with the emphasis being on preparing beautiful music for the daily Masses celebrated throughout the week, and helping to equip musicians for when they return home to their parishes.
  • Take a look at CMAA’s excellent resources online on their website musicasacra.com.
  • It seems they may have more recordings of English translation Propers and Ordinary than the original Latin: https://musicasacra.com/resource-lists/.

Corpus Christi Watershed

  • Corpus Christi Watershed’s website provides the amazing resource of printable music scores for voice/choirs and organists and rehearsal videos on YouTube for each part of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin: https://www.ccwatershed.org/kyriale/  They also offer Catholic hymnals.
  • I heartily recommend this site [Corpus Christi Watershed] for Catholics who want to experience some of the grand music of our rich heritage. Many of us find much of today’s music lacking in beauty and reverence. This site will introduce you to some of the great Catholic music of the past which is being recovered at long last. —Archbishop James P. Keleher • Kansas City, Kansas

More Sacred Music Resources

Recordings

ACTION ITEMS

  • Print a free Kyriale for your parish here or obtain copies of a parish Kyriale as linked at the top of this page.
  • Consider having children’s Sacred Music and Gregorian chant camps or workshops.
  • Consider having Sacred Music and Gregorian chant worship workshops for adults.
  • Consider starting a Sacred Music Club at your school, college, university, homeschooling network: Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College Sacred Music Club.