Chant texts and cantus firmi

This section highlights Gregorian chant song books as well as databases and indexes for finding chants.

• Liber Usualis:  M2151 L4 1997
  • Book of the most commonly used Gregorian chants for Mass and Office, compiled by the monks of the Abbey of Solesmes, France
  • Church Music Association of America online pdf version of 1961 edition by the Benedictines of the Solesmes

• Graduale Romanum:  M2148 L4 1966
  • Music for Mass
  • Sancta Missa online pdf version of 1961 edition by the Benedictines of the Solesmes Monastery
• Graduale Triplex:  M2148 L4 1979
  • Graduale Romanum with staffless neumes from Laon ms added above the staves in black and those from two of the Saint-Gall MSS below in red.
• Antiphonale Monasticum:  M2150 P3 1934
  • Music for Office
  • Corpus Christi Watershed online pdf version of 1934 edition
• Liber Responsorialis:  M2154.4 B45 L5 1895
  • Music for Matins (the night Office)
  • Corpus Christi Watershed online pdf version of 1895 edition
  • University of Northern Texas online pdf version of 1895 edition
• Liber Vesperalis ... Mediolanensis:  M2151 R8 L5 1939
  • Music for Vespers according to the Ambrosian rite of Milan

• ​CANTUS Database
  • Database for Latin ecclesiastical chant
  • The most extensive and authoritative source for chant manuscripts
  • Inventories of chant manuscripts, mostly of the Office, but also includes Mass chants
  • Many chant melodies are transcribed (with and without text)
  • Links to digital images of many different manuscripts
  • Provides information on the feast, the Office, where in the Office, the mode (and differentia, if relevant), and lists manuscripts in which the chant can be found
• Cantus Index
  • Catalogue of chant texts and melodies for Office and Mass
• Global Chant Database
  • Searchable database of plainchant melodies and texts both in medieval sources and new editions
  • Information on text, melody, genre, mode, and concordances in new editions and other online databases
  • Some links to facsimiles
• Cantus Planus
  • Regensburg’s data pool for Gregorian chant
  • Catalogue of chant incipits, including full chant texts
• Antiphonale/Graduale Synopticum
  • Provides textual sources along with variants
  • Site is in German
• MMMO: Medieval Music Manuscripts Online Database
  • A database of music sources that is still adding content
  • Includes manuscripts from the medieval period until 1600
• DIAMM: Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music
  • Online database with inventories of medieval and many Renaissance manuscripts
  • Links to images of most sources
  • Includes some chant sources as well as indicating where chant appears in manuscripts of polyphonic music
• Sancta Missa Gregorian Chant Online Collection
  • Open-access pdfs of various Gregorian chant resources
  • All pdfs are downloadable and most come from the Church Music Association of America

• Bryden, John R. and David G. Hughes, eds. An Index of Gregorian Chant. 2 vols. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1969. ML102 C45 B8 (Bryden and Hughes)
  • Index of Gregorian chant texts and melodies mostly from modern chant books
  • Omitted: Ambrosian chant and “old-roman” repertory
  • Omitted: Sequences, tropes, proses, versus and conductus, prosulae
  • Textual (vol. 1) or melodic (vol. 2) incipits, indicating where the chant can be found in modern chant books
• Baroffio, Giacomo, ed. Iter Liturgicum Italicum: Editio Maior. Instrumenta, 1. Stroncone: Associazione San Michele Arcangelo, 2011. folio Z6611 L76 I86 2011
  • A catalogue of Italian manuscripts worldwide arranged by city/institution/call number
  • Information about type of source (gradual, breviary, hymnary…), date, number of folios, origin, etc.

• Frere, Walter Howard, ed. Antiphonale Sarisburiense. London: Plainsong and Medieval Music Society, 1901-25. M2 P6 C2
  • Facsimile of a 13th-century English book of music for the Office for the English rite of Salisbury
• Frere, Walter Howard, ed. Graduale Sarisburiense. London: B. Quaritch, 1894. ML30.4 C3 G7 1894 (Rare Collection, Music Library)
  • Facsimile of a 13th-century manuscript of music for the Mass for the English rite of Salisbury
  • Includes a dissertation and historical index
• Mocquereau, André, and Joseph Gajard, eds. Paléographie musicale: les principaux manuscrits de chant grégorien, ambrosien, mozarabe, gallican. Solesmes: Impr. Saint-Pierre, 1889-. Incomplete sets: M2 P152, M2 P152 1971, M2 P153
  • 22-volume set of facsimiles of major early chant manuscripts, some of which are mentioned in Bryden and Hughes or Hesbert, CAO
  • Several volumes (along with other manuscripts) are available online through Alessandro De Lillo's website

• McGill users only
• Open access resource
• Free resource
• In-library use
• Catalogue record