Many people in the chant world were very excited to see that Solesmes has graciously allowed CMAA to post the entire Gregorian Chant book online, free for use by all. This is an amazing gift and will lead to more and more widespread use of chant in the liturgy, I think.
The Gregorian Missal was one of the first books we purchased when beginning our schola in Shreveport. It is so wonderful to have, not only the entire list of Proper chants for all Sundays of the Church year, as well as the order of the Mass and Kyriale, but also the translations into English. I think I have 3 copies of this book (one is very heavily marked up with my pencil markings and notes) for myself and for sharing. Having it available to download and use in Mass programs or for scholas who don't own copies is a wonderful thing.
I decided to make data discs for all my schola members, so have been making up discs this morning. On the disc I included:
Communios (an entire folder full of all the Communion propers set by Richard Rice with psalm verses included)
Parish Book of Chant additions (this is another generously provided set of chant hymns provided by Richard Rice for those hymns in the PBC that have several verses)
Chant Abreges (Graduals, Alleluias, Tracts)
Gregorian Missal
Kyriale-Solesmes
Liber Usualis
Memorial Acclamations (Richard Rice's settings of English Memorial Acclamations)
Rossini Propers
Sunol book on Gregorian Chant
Every thing here was downloaded at one time or other from the CMAA website (FOR FREE). Look at the massive amount of chant material that has been provided for the world here! I am astounded when I look at it... Donations to CMAA are gratefully accepted here.
I love having the digital copies available... but I also love having the actual books that I can thumb through and mark up. After I left Shreveport (and had to leave behind the Liber Usualis that belongs to the church that I had borrowed from the church library) I looked online for quite awhile to find another copy so that I would be able to have the book in my hands when I want it. I also have the Communio book that has the entire set of Communion propers that Richard Rice put together. I have two copies of the Sunol book... and I have a book of the Kyriale...
I think once folks see the wonderful chant books digitally they will want a hard copy of their own to use as well. I hope the publishers are ramping up for big demand.
In the U.S., Paraclete Press distributes the Gregorian Missal, Graduale Romanum, Cantus Selecti, Liber Cantualis, Graduale Triplex and other Solesmes publications... check out their website here. Other places also sell their books, including Canticanova (they also include a nice translation from the Latin for at least some of the books that are entirely in Latin). You can still get the Parish Book of Chant at Aquinas and More. The Communio and Kyriale that CMAA publish are available from their website here.
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