The Graduale Romanum is a Gregorian chant book for choirs that presents the official chants to be sung at Mass for each day of the Church year.
This rare edition is the standard music reference for Masses celebrated in the traditional Roman Rite, according to the 1962 Missale Romanum. It brings back in print the 1961 Graduale, which includes Pius XII’s Holy Week reforms of 1955.
Graduale Romanum contains the Propers of the Saints for the full Church year, the Kyriale, the chants for many special Masses, as well as the general index and introduction material. Propers for the Seasons are in Volume I. The introductory matter has been moved to the end of Volume II, which contains the index.
Some people confuse the Liber Usualis and the Graduale Romanum. Basically, the “Graduale” pertains to the Mass, while the Liber Usualis also has chants from the Breviarium Romanum (Divine Office) Both contain the complete Kyriale.
Structure of the 1961 edition
The 1961 Roman Gradual is arranged into 14 major sections:
Proprium de Tempore
Proprium Sanctorum
Commune Sanctorum
Missæ Votivæ
Ordinarium Missæ
Appendix
Proprium Sanctorum pro aliquibus locis
Commune Sanctorum pro aliquibus locis
Psalmi Usitati Per Hebdomadam Sanctam Secundum Novam Interpetationem Latinam
Index Alphabeticus
Index Alphabeticus Festorum
Index Communis Sanctorum ate Missarum Votivarum
Index Missarum pro aliquibus locis
Index Ordinarii Missæ, Tonorum Communium, et Appendicis
Graduale Romanum Index
