Gregorian Chant - How to follow the Liber Usualis?

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William777

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Greetings, Brethen:

I would like to join a Schola to sing Gregorian Chants for a Traditional Latin Mass near where I live. However, while I am trained as a musician, and I can read Gregorian music, I dont know how to follow the Liber Usualis from day-to-day, week-to-week, perhaps even year-to-year.

I dont know how flexible the liturgical planning is, but I hear it is pretty well set. If this is true, then it would indicate I could project what chants will be sung a few weeks in advance, so I could practice beforehand.

If anyone can show me how to do that I would greatly appreciate it!

Blessings,

wm

P.S. I dont have a hardcopy of the Liber Usualis, but there is a free PDF version I have been following here:

sanctamissa.org/en/music/gregorian-chant/choir/liber-usualis-1961.html
 
If you’re going to join a schola, then don’t worry, they won’t put you in charge of the “liturgical planning” on Day 1. 🙂

Seriously, though, there’s a risk of putting the cart before the horse here. You should probably worry about joining the group and finding out what’s going to be asked of you before you try to figure out everything on your own. The director’s job is to tell you what to do.

That said, the LU is set up chronologically. Assuming that you would only be singing on Sundays (and not, e.g., some votive Mass on a Tuesday), simply figure out what day it is and then find that day in the Proper of the Time (starting on page 317). Today is the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; the propers, therefore, are those starting on p. 1032. The Ordinary setting is at the option of the pastor or music director and cannot be predicted.
 
MarkThompson said:
If you’re going to join a schola, then don’t worry, they won’t put you in charge of the “liturgical planning” on Day 1. 🙂

Seriously, though, there’s a risk of putting the cart before the horse here. You should probably worry about joining the group and finding out what’s going to be asked of you before you try to figure out everything on your own. The director’s job is to tell you what to do.

That said, the LU is set up chronologically. Assuming that you would only be singing on Sundays (and not, e.g., some votive Mass on a Tuesday), simply figure out what day it is and then find that day in the Proper of the Time (starting on page 317). Today is the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; the propers, therefore, are those starting on p. 1032. The Ordinary setting is at the option of the pastor or music director and cannot be predicted.
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