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Graduale Parvum

Graduale Parvum Chants Between the Readings for Sundays and Holy Days In Latin and with English translations Notated in Gregorian Chant

John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music Association for Latin Liturgy 2026

John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music Association for Latin Liturgy The Oratory of St Philip Neri, 141 Hagley Road Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8UE First Published 2026 ISBN: 978-1-78469-928-4 Cover design, compilation and typographical design and layout © JHNILM, ALL and CTS Concordat cum originali: Mgr Bruce Harbert, MA, MPhil, STL Imprimatur:  Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, 1 November 2024 Acknowledgements: Chants © Fr Guy Nicholls of the Oratory. Latin text of antiphons and verses from the Graduale Romanum 1974 edition © Desclée & Co., Tournai, Belgium. Translations © Association for Latin Liturgy, provided as an aid to comprehension and not for liturgical use. The Graduale Parvum will have simple chants for all the Proper parts of Sunday and Holyday Masses. Volume 1, the Introits, is already published and available from the CTS; this Volume 2 covers Graduals, Alleluias and Tracts. Volumes 3 (Offertories) and 4 (Communions) are in course of preparation.

Contents Foreword from the Right Rev. Alan Hopes................................viii Introduction to the Graduale Parvum Volume 2: Chants Between the Readings...............................................ix Advent First Sunday of Advent.................................................................. 1 Second Sunday of Advent.............................................................. 2 Third Sunday of Advent................................................................. 3 Fourth Sunday of Advent............................................................... 5 Christmas The Nativity of the Lord - at the Vigil Mass.................................................................... 6 - Mass during the Night........................................................... 7 - Mass at Dawn........................................................................ 8 - Mass during the Day.............................................................. 9 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph.................................. 10 The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God...................................... 11 Second Sunday after the Lord’s Nativity..................................... 13 The Epiphany of the Lord............................................................ 14 The Baptism of the Lord.............................................................. 15 Lent Ash Wednesday............................................................................ 17 First Sunday of Lent..................................................................... 19 Second Sunday of Lent................................................................ 22 Third Sunday of Lent................................................................... 23 Fourth Sunday of Lent................................................................. 25 Fifth Sunday of Lent.................................................................... 26 Holy Week Palm Sunday................................................................................ 28 Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper............................................. 31 Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) ........................ 32 v

Easter The Vigil of Easter....................................................................... 34 Easter Sunday - Mass during the Day.......................................... 39 Second Sunday of Easter............................................................. 40 Third Sunday of Easter................................................................ 41 Fourth Sunday of Easter............................................................... 42 Fifth Sunday of Easter................................................................. 43 Sixth Sunday of Easter................................................................. 44 The Ascension of the Lord........................................................... 46 Seventh Sunday of Easter............................................................ 47 Pentecost - at the Vigil Mass........................................................ 48 Pentecost - Mass during the Day................................................. 49 Ordinary Time Second Sunday in Ordinary Time................................................ 50 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time................................................... 51 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time................................................. 52 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.................................................... 53 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time................................................... 55 Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time............................................... 56 Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time................................................. 57 Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time................................................... 59 Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time................................................... 61 Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.............................................. 63 Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time............................................... 64 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time........................................... 65 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.......................................... 66 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time............................................. 67 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time............................................. 69 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time........................................ 71 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.......................................... 72 Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.......................................... 73 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time............................................ 75 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time........................................ 76 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time................................... 77

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time....................................... 78 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time..................................... 79 Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time........................................ 80 Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time....................................... 81 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.................................. 82 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.................................... 83 Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time...................................... 84 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.............................................. 85 Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time.......................................... 86 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time..................................... 88 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time......................................... 89 Solemnities of the Lord During Ordinary Time The Most Holy Trinity................................................................. 90 The Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi).... 91 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe............................... 92 The Proper of the Saints The Presentation of the Lord........................................................ 93 The Nativity of John the Baptist - at the Vigil Mass.................................................................. 94 - Mass during the Day............................................................ 95 Saint Peter and Saint Paul - at the Vigil Mass.................................................................. 96 - Mass during the Day............................................................ 97 The Transfiguration of the Lord................................................... 98 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - at the Vigil Mass.................................................................. 99 - Mass during the Day.......................................................... 100 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross............................................... 101 All Saints.................................................................................... 102 The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica..................................... 103 Index.......................................................................................... 104

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Foreword from the Right Rev. Alan Hopes Latin is the core, matrix language of the Roman Rite, at the service of the universal Church. In no way can its benign and enriching inﬂuence be better and more powerfully felt than in its chant, which is ancient, yet today living and vital. Of course, many of those ancient melodies, though sublime, are difficult music, beyond the capacity of many parish choirs to sing well. So the Graduale Parvum will have a most beneficial role by giving to the Church a simplified but still authentic form of the chants for the Mass, and moreover, in a way that instead of being merely passive auditors, the faithful are active and vocal participants. But there is more. Sometimes it is not possible, for various reasons, to re-introduce Latin in a parish where it has not been heard, perhaps, for decades. But with the Graduale Parvum choirs and congregations will be equally at home singing the same melodies in English, where English texts are provided in the Roman Missal, either for a whole Mass, or with some chants in Latin and others in English, or as a support for fully Latin celebrations. I warmly commend the Graduale Parvum for the use of all Catholic churches in this country.

 Alan Hopes Bishop Emeritus of East Anglia viii

Introduction to the Graduale Parvum Volume 2: Chants Between the Readings 1. General Introduction The Latin/English Graduale Parvum (GP) was launched in 2018 with the publication of the first volume containing the introits for Sundays throughout the year and for those feasts that are either Holidays of Obligation or which could liturgically replace ordinary Sundays. The Introduction to that volume serves partly as an introduction to the entire concept and character of the GP, its composition and the manner of its performance, and specifically to the character and performance of the Introits themselves. Therefore, the reader is referred to that Introduction, especially to the first three sections which serve as a general explanation of the character and aims of the GP, but also to sections 7 to 10 which go on to explain the principles upon which the texts have been adapted to the Gregorian melodies used in the GP, the modes and melodic formulae themselves, and recommendations concerning the pitch at which to sing the chants and how best to accompany them on the organ. 2. The Different Characteristics of the Chants Between the Readings ‘Chants Between the Readings’ denotes, as the term implies, those texts which are sung during the course of the Liturgy of the Word. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal in paragraphs 61 and 62 provides comprehensive information on the celebration of this part of the Mass: “Instead of the Psalm assigned in the Lectionary, there may be sung either the Responsorial Gradual from the Graduale Romanum, or the Responsorial Psalm or the Alleluia Psalm from the Graduale Simplex, as described

in these books.” “The Alleluia is sung in every time of year other than Lent. The verses are taken from the Lectionary or the Graduale.” “During Lent, instead of the Alleluia, the verse before the Gospel as given in the Lectionary is sung. It is also possible to sing another Psalm or Tract, as found in the Graduale.” The Chants Between the Readings comprise: a) The Graduals. These follow the first reading throughout Ordinary Time and the other seasons outside Eastertide; these are replaced in Eastertide by an Alleluiatic psalm, consisting of an Alleluia response and a verse followed by a repeat of the response. b) The Alleluias. Before the Gospel there is sung throughout most of the year an Alleluia chant similar in structure to the Alleluiatic psalm in Eastertide. c) The Tracts. In Lent when the word ‘Alleluia’ is excluded from liturgical use, the chant before the Gospel takes the form of a Tract, consisting of several continuous verses of a psalm sung without any refrain. 3. The Texts of the Chants The texts used are those of the Graduale Romanum (GR) which is one of the official auxiliary books of the Roman Liturgy, containing as it does the Gregorian chant settings of the Proper texts corresponding to each set of daily Readings for the Liturgy of the Word. a) The Graduals. After the first reading, the current Lectionary of the Roman Rite provides a Responsorial Psalm which consists of an antiphon which opens the chant, intoned by the cantor and repeated by the choir or congregation, which is repeated between stanzas of a psalm sung by the cantor. However, although the Responsorial Psalm is nowadays the x

most familiar form of chant following the first reading and is provided in the Latin and vernacular lectionaries alike, it is a relatively new element of the Order of Mass and was only introduced in the Mass of Pope St Paul VI. Prior to that, the only chant provided at this point was the Gradual, a textually far shorter extract from a psalm (or very occasionally from another canticle from either Old or New Testament) than the Responsorial Psalm. The Gradual, though still an option in the current form of the sung Roman Rite in Latin, is nonetheless not to be found in the official Lectionary but only in the GR. This means that Graduals have never been officially translated for liturgical use in the vernacular. Therefore, since there is no official version in English of the texts of the Graduals, the GP Chants Between the Readings contains Gradual chants only in Latin. b) The Alleluias. Regarding the chant before the Gospel, in the Lectionary an Alleluia chant is provided which is similar in structure to the Alleluiatic chant of the GR. However, in the GR the texts of the verses between the repeats of the Alleluia refrain are frequently different from those provided in the Lectionary. The texts used in the GP follow those of the GR rather than the Lectionary. As far as the Easter Alleluiatic psalm is concerned, this has no current counterpart in the Lectionary, although it is still the case that, during Eastertide, the Responsorial Psalm may always be sung with the one word response, ‘Alleluia’, in place of any other response given in the Lectionary. c) The Tracts. Finally, the Lenten Tract has no strict counterpart in the current Lectionary, which provides an ‘Acclamation’ with a series of short Responses to frame variable verses for each day. The Tract, as mentioned above, has quite a different structure, being simply a series of continuous verses of a psalm with no refrain whatever. xi

4. The Musical Settings of the Graduals The Gradual is, historically speaking, a highly complex chant designed to be sung by a professional choir and soloist. The first part of the Gradual takes the form of a stylised refrain set to a melismatic1 chant where many notes are set to each syllable. This kind of chant was never intended to be sung by a congregation, and most of them in the GR surpass the skills of all but the best trained and most competent singers. After this refrain comes a verse, similarly complex in its chant structure, and in the GR often requiring a voice of even greater range than the refrain, as is often the case with solo sections in contrast with full choral sections. In the case of the GP, as with the Introits already published, the Graduals are set to simpler chants than those in the GR. The refrain can be sung by a cantor leading the choir, or by the choir leading the congregation. Then the verse is sung either by a cantor or by the choir, but it is not intended to be sung by the congregation. After the verse, the refrain should be repeated by those who sang it first, choir or congregation. The modes of the melodies to which the Graduals are set in the GP follow exactly the modes of the chants in the GR, though very much less varied since there is only one melodic formula used for each of the eight modes. 5. The Musical Setting of the Alleluias As with the Gradual, the Alleluia consists of a refrain which is a setting of the one word ‘Alleluia’. This is intoned first by the cantor or choir, then repeated entirely, ideally by the whole congregation. One important characteristic common to every Alleluia refrain in the GR is the elaboration of the final syllable known as the jubilus. This is the melismatic continuation of the final ‘-a’ of the word Alleluia. To facilitate familiarity 1

A melisma is a long series of notes sung entirely to one syllable.

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with these chanted Alleluia refrains, only eight settings are provided in the GP, one in each of the eight modes. As in all the other chants in this volume, the mode is always the same as that of the corresponding chant in the GR. The repeat of the refrain is followed by the singing of the verse by the soloist or choir, after which the Alleluia is repeated once more before the Gospel is begun. It is worth commenting on the jubilus, which is mentioned by St Augustine as characteristic of the chant before the Gospel in his day, too, that it indicates a chant of quite a different character from that of the modern ‘Gospel Acclamation’. In place of the more usual custom of singing an antiphon consisting of repeated ‘Alleluias’, the single Alleluia extended by the jubilus suggests a more meditative character than a triumphant one. Whereas the modern Alleluia ‘acclamation’ sounds as though it were designed to be sung like a fanfare with trumpets, the ancient Roman pre-Gospel Alleluia is rather more meditative, whose effect is to quieten us and, as it were, to heighten our spiritual sense of anticipation as we prepare to hear our Lord’s words or actions solemnly declaimed to us in the Gospel. Furthermore, the verse sung between the repeated ‘Alleluia’ always ends with the same musical formula as the end of the Alleluia refrain, including, of course, the melody of the jubilus. 6. The Musical Setting of the Tracts The Tracts, which replace the Alleluia chant in Lent, are so named as being verses ‘drawn’ (in Latin, tracti) from a single psalm, right through with no refrain. For this reason, they are designed to be sung entirely by a choir, or by a cantor and choir, but never by the congregation. In the manner of the GR, they are highly formulaic chants and are found in only two modes, the second and the eighth.

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The musical setting of the Tracts in the GP, therefore, similarly follows a general formulaic structure, not unlike the structure of the Gregorian psalm tone, though rather more elaborated at the various cadences representing the phrasing of the verses of the text. This kind of elaboration of psalm-singing is known as ‘cantillation’, and because the musical structure of the cadences repeats according to the structure of the psalm verses, they enable the sense of the sentence structure to be more easily ascertained by the listener even though sung in Latin. For, once again, the Tracts only exist in the GR and not in the Lectionary and therefore have no official text but the original Latin, which is why the GP Tracts are only provided in Latin. Finally, the GP is the work of the Director of the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music (JHNILM), founded at the Oratory, Birmingham, in 2011. The Institute is forever grateful to its principal patron, His Grace Archbishop Longley of Birmingham, for his generous support and encouragement in its work. Fr Guy Nicholls, Cong. Orat.

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Advent

First Sunday of Advent Gradual

Ps. 24

- ni- vér-

si  qui te ex- spéctant, non confundéntur, Dómi-

ne. ℣. v Vi-as tu-as, Dómine, notas fac mihi : et sémitas tu-as é-doce me.

℟. r U-ni- vér-

si . . .

All who await you will not be disappointed, Lord. Make your ways known to me, Lord, and teach me your paths.

Alleluia

Ps. 84

VIII

l- le- lú- ia.

℣. v Osténde nobis, Dó-

mine mi-se-ri-córdiam tu-am : et sa-lu-tá- re tuum da nobis. Allelúia . . .

Show us, O Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation.

Advent

Second Sunday of Advent Gradual

Ps. 49

x Si-on  spéci-es de-có-ris e- ius : Deus mani-fés-te vé-ni-et.

℣. v Congregá-te il- li sanctos e-ius, qui or-di-na-vé-runt tes-taméntum e-ius

super sa-cri-fí- ci- a. ℟. r Ex Si-on . . .

Out of Sion is the splendour of his beauty: God will come revealed. Gather about him his saints, who have set his covenant before sacrifices.

Alleluia

Ps. 121

l- le-lú- ia.

℣. v Lætátus sum in his quæ dic-

ta sunt mihi : in domum Dómini í- bi-mus. Allelúia . . .

I rejoiced at what was said to me: we will go into the house of the Lord.

Advent

Third Sunday of Advent Gradual (Years A & C)

Ps. 79

VII

ui sedes, Dómine,  super Chérubim, ex-cí-ta potén-ti-am tuam,

et ve-ni. ℣. v Qui re-gis Ís-ra-el, in-ténde : qui dedúcis velut ovem Ioseph.

℟. Qui sedes . . . r

Lord, enthroned above the Cherubim, stir up your power and come. Listen, ruler of Israel, who lead Joseph like a sheep.

Gradual (Year B)

Jn 1

u- it homo  missus a De-o,

cu- i nomen Io-ánnes e- rat :

hic venit. ℣. v Ut tes- ti-mónium perhi-bé-ret de lú-mi-ne,

et pa- rá- re

℟. Fu- it homo . . . Dómino plebem perféctam. r

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John: he came to bear witness to the light, and to prepare a perfect people for the Lord.

Advent

Alleluia

Ps. 79

IV a

l- le-lú- ia.

℣. v Éx-ci-ta, Dómine, potén-ti-am

tu-am, et ve- ni, ut salvos fá- ci- as

nos. Allelúia . . .

Stir up your power, Lord, and come to save us.

Advent

Fourth Sunday of Advent Gradual

Ps. 144

ro-pe est  Dóminus óm-nibus in- vocán-ti-bus e- um : óm-ni-

bus qui ín- vocant e- um in ve- ri- tá- te. ℣. v Laudem Dómi-ni loquétur

os meum : et be- ne- dí- cat omnis ca- ro

nomen sanctum e- ius.

℟. r Prope est . . .

The Lord is close to all who call on him: to all who call on him in truth. My mouth shall utter the Lord’s praise, and may all flesh bless his holy name.

Alleluia

A III

l- le-lú- ia.

℣. Ve-ni, Dómine, et no-li tardá- re : v

re- lá- xa fa- ci-nó-ra plebis tu- æ. Allelúia . . .

Come, Lord, and do not delay: forgive the sins of your people.

Christmas

The Nativity of the Lord At the Vigil Mass Gradual

Cf. EX 16; Is 35; Ps 79

ó- di- e  sci- é- tis, qui- a vé- ni- et Dóminus, et sal- vá-

bit nos : et mane vi- dé- bi- tis

gló- ri- am e- ius. ℣. v Qui re- gis Ís-

ra- el in- tén-de : qui de-dú-cis vel-ut o-vem Io-seph : qui se-des su-

per Chérubim, ap- pá- re coram Éphraim, Béniamin, et Manás- se.

℟. r Hó-di- e . . .

Today you will know that the Lord will come and save us: and tomorrow you will see his glory. Listen, ruler of Israel, who lead Joseph like a sheep. You who are enthroned above the Cherubim, appear before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasse.

alleluia

A VIII

l- le--lú- ia.

Crásti-na di- e de- lé-bitur

in- í-quitas ter- ræ : et regnábit super nos Salvátor mundi. ℣. v Allelúia . . .

Tomorrow the iniquity of the earth will be destroyed: and the Saviour of the world will reign over us. 6

Christmas

The Nativity of the Lord Mass during the Night Gradual

Ps. 109

ecum  princí- pi-um

in di- e vir-tú- tis tu- æ :

in splen-

dó- ri-bus sanctórum, ex ú- te- ro an- te lu- cí- ferum gé- nu- i te.

℣. v Di-xit Dóminus Dómi-no me- o :

nam in- i- mícos tu- os

Se-de a dextris me-is :

donec po-

scabéllum pedum tu- ó- rum. ℟. r Tecum . . .

Princely dignity is yours on your day of power: among the glories of the saints, I fathered you from the womb before dawn. The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit on my right, until I make your enemies your footstool’.

Alleluia

Ps. 2

VIII

l- le- lú- ia.

Fí- li- us meus

es tu,

Dóminus di-xit ad me :

e- go hó-di- e génu- i

te. ℣. v Allelúia . . .

The Lord said to me ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’.

Christmas

The Nativity of the Lord Mass at Dawn Gradual

Ps. 117

e-nedíctus  qui venit in nómine Dómini : Deus Dóminus, et il-

℣. A Dómino factum est : et est mirá-bi-le in ó-culis nostris. lúxit no-bis. v

℟. r Benedíctus . . .

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: the Lord is God, and has shone upon us. This is the Lord’s work, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

Alleluia

Ps. 92

l- le- lú-ia.

Dóminus regnávit, decórem índu- it :

índu- it Dóminus for-ti-tú-dinem, et præcínxit se virtú- te. ℣. v Allelúia . . .

The Lord has reigned; he has put on beauty: the Lord has put on strength, and he has girded himself with power.

Christmas

The Nativity of the Lord Mass during the Day Gradual

Ps. 97

i- dérunt  omnes fi-nes terræ sa-lu-tá-re De-i nostri : iu-bi-

lá-te De-o omnis ter- ra. ℣. v Notum fe-cit Dóminus sa-lu-tá-re su- um :

an- te conspéctum génti-um

re- ve- lá- vit ius-tí- ti-am su- am.

℟. r Vi-dérunt . . .

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God: rejoice in God all the earth. The Lord has made known his salvation: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.

Alleluia

A II

l- le- lú-ia.

Di-es sancti- fi- cátus il- lú-xit no-bis :

ve-ní-te gentes, et ad-o- rá- te Dóminum : qui-a hó-di- e descéndit lux

magna super terram. ℣. v Allelúia . . .

A blessed day has dawned upon us: come, you nations, and adore the Lord: for today a great light has come down upon the earth.

Christmas

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph Gradual

Ps. 26

-nam  pé-ti- i a Dómino, hanc requíram, ut in-há-bitem in

domo Dómi-ni. ℣. v Ut ví-deam voluptátem Dómi-ni : et prótegar a templo

sancto e- ius. ℟. r Unam . . .

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I shall claim, that I may live in the house of the Lord, to see the delights of the Lord: and to have the protection of his holy temple.

Alleluia

Ps. 32

IV a

l- le-lú-

ia.

℣. Gaudé-te ius- ti in Dómino : v

rectos decet collaudá- ti- o. Allelúia . . .

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord: praise is fitting for the righteous.

Christmas

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Gradual

Ps. 44

if- fú-sa  est grá-ti- a in lá- bi- is tu- is : proptér- e- a be-ne-

dí-xit te Deus in æ-térnum. ℣. v Propter ve-ri- tátem, et mansu- e- tú-dinem,

et ius-tí- ti- am : et dedúcet te mi-ra- bí- li- ter

déxte- ra tu- a.

℟. r Diffú- sa . . .

Grace is poured upon your lips: therefore God has blessed you for ever for truth and faithfulness and justice: your right hand will give you wonderful guidance.

Alleluia

A IV a

l- le-lú- ia.

ta permansís- ti :

℣. v Post partum, Virgo, in-vi- o- lá-

De- i Génetrix intercé-de pro nobis. Allelúia . . .

After birth, O Virgin, you remained inviolate: intercede for us, Mother of God. or:

Christmas

Alleluia

Hebr. 1

VII

l- le-lú-ia.

℣. v Multi- fá- ri- e

o-lim Deus loquens

in prophétis, novís-si-me di- é-bus is- tis lo-cútus est nobis in Fí-li- o

su- o. Allelúia . . .

God, who once spoke through the prophets in many ways, has most recently spoken to us in these days through his Son.