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Plainchant at CWRU

A bibliography of Gregorian Chant and related genres held by Case Western Reserve University libraries

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Print reproductions of general chant books

Offices for specific saints

Crown of thorns of Sens

St. Acacius of Mount Ararat and companions (-ca. 120)

St. Afra (-ca. 304)

St. Anne

SS. Cancius, Cancianus, Cancianilla and Prothus

St. Chrysogonus (-ca 304) see St. Quirinus

St. Demetrius

St. Denis (conflated with St. Dionysius, below)

St. Dionysius, the Areopagite

St. Emmeram

St. Erhard, (-668?)

St. Gall

St. Gatien

SS. Hellarus and Tacianus, see SS Cancius et al

St. Hylarion

St. Knud Lavard (-1131)

St.  Ludger (ca. 742-809)

St. Magnus of Füssen (ca. 699-772)

St. Martha

St. Martin (ca. 316-397)

Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Quirinus (-ca. 269)

St. Regulus (-542)

St. Simpert (-807)

St. Stephen, King of Hungary (1190-1270)

St. Thomas, a Becket, 1118?-1170.

St. Wolfgang (ca. 924-994)

Comparative editions

Collected editions

Original prints

Microfilms of manuscripts

Note: the italicized titles serve as the shelf numbers under which these will be found on the microfilm shelves in Kelvin Smith Library.

Bibliothèque nationale (France). Manuscript. Latin 861. Missal from Notre Dame de Paris, early 14th century

Bibliothèque nationale (France).Manuscript. Latin 1112. Missal from Paris, ca. 1225

Bibliothèque nationale (France). Manuscript. Latin 15181 Breviary (winter) from Paris, 13th-14th centuries

Bibliothèque nationale (France). Manuscript. Latin 15182 Breviary (summer) from Paris, 13th-14th centuries

Bibliothèque royale Albert Ier. Manuscript. 1799. Processional from Notre Dame, Paris, 13th century, 2nd half (ca. 1270?)

Bibliothèque royale Albert Ier. Manuscript. 4334 Processional from Notre Dame, Paris, 13th century, 2nd half (ca. 1270?)

Catholic Church. Gradual (Tournai). Graduel de Tournai

Catholic Church. Gradual (Venice : Giunta, 1500). Graduale s[ecundu]m morem sancte Romane ecclesie: integru[m] & co[m]pletu[m] videlicet d[omi]nicale: sanctuariu[m]: co[m]mune: & ca[n]torinu[m]: sive kyriale: ... Correctum per fratrem Franciscum de Brugis ordinis minorum de observantia

Catholic Church. Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae. Cantus ecclesiasticus officii Maioris Hebdomadae [microform] : iuxtaritum Capellae sanctissimi Domini nostri Papae ac Basilicae Vaticanae collectus, & emendatus / a Ioanne Guidetto Bononiensi eiusdem Basilicae perpetuo Clerico Beneficiato nunc primum in lucem editus. Romae : Ex Typographia Iacobi Tornerij, 1587

Harvard College Library. Printed missal and breviary portions, late 19th century, local uses. (There are various bibliographic records linked to this item.)

Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen. Manuscript. 546. Codex Sangallensis 546 : Music for the ordinary of the mass and sequences from before 1510

Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen. Manuscript. 1757. Graduale de sanctis, Ordinarium missae, 1473

Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen. Manuscript. 1758. Graduale de tempore, Kyriale, Sequentiar, 1473?

Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen. Manuscript. 1767. Graduale de tempore, 1500-1520

Why are older chant books important?

Since older chant books contain readings considered obsolete by the Church, and often don't even have the currently-used words, they aren't of much use in the Mass. Howver, they have other uses:

1. Historical performance practice. When dealing with alternatim settings, supplying priestly incipits, or filling in mysterious lacunae such as the missing text in the credo of the Tallis Mass in 4 Parts, one ideally wants to use the chant version that was best known to the composer and his audience.  For example, if one needed to fill in the Tallis for liturgical use (one wouldn't necessarily for concert use), you'd look at a Sarum rite Credo (Sarum only had one, their version of Credo I.) 

2. Editorial completion. If a chant-based voice is missing from a set of partbooks, one's chances of restoring the voice are better if one begins with the right version of the chant.

3. Historical study of the chant. How did chant change through time, and why? How did it vary from place to place?

4. Repertoire exploration. Most of the sequences were removed from the liturgy by the Council of Trent. That doesn't mean you can't sing one as an offertory motet, just that it no longer has its own place in the liturgy. And of course you can do it in any nonliturgical setting. 

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