Liber Usualis
SKU: 8346
$99.95
(Missae et Officii: Pro Dominicis et Festis cum Cantu Gregoriano)
1962 edition
The Liber Usualis (pronounced Lee-behr Oos-oo-ah-lees and Latin for The Book of Common Use) is usually associated with the Gregorian chant propers sung at Mass, but its usefulness doesn't end there!
The Liber (as it is commonly called) is first and foremost a practical combination of the various official liturgical-musical books of the Roman Rite (e.g., Kyriale, Graduale Romanum, Cantorinus, Officium Hebdomodae Sanctae Instauratus) used for both chanting the various parts of the Divine Office and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
It also contains a wealth of ancient Latin hymns, ad libitum Kyriale modes, litanies and even the Ordo Missae (the Ordinary, Prefaces and Canon of the Mass) allowing it to be used in place of a daily missal during Mass.
The Liber further explains the names of the various components of Gregorian chant, the method for properly rendering it according to the "Solesmes method" (ordered by the Holy See to be followed by all who use the Roman Rite), how to chant the Lessons, Epistles and Gospels, a universal 1962 Roman calendar, a section on general rubrics for applying the calendar and classification system (according to the 1960 reform) in addition featuring important particular rubrical notes as necessary (e.g., for the ceremonies of Ash Wednesday), a general index as well as alphabetical indexes for the various parts of the propers, antiphons, psalms (even a numerical index for these), canticles, and hymns, and much more!
Printed in Latin (only) in black text throughout, all of the Gregorian chant notation contains the important rhythmic signs developed by the Benedictines of Solesmes during their lengthy chant reform (ordered and sanctioned by the popes) in the early 20th century.
This hefty, 5 x 7 x 3 inch thick book is sewn hardbound in handsome black cloth with gold-embossing on the spine, has red page edgings, and 7 multi-colored ribbons.
Our offered edition is a reprint of the Desclee's (printer to the Solesmes monastery) 1961 printing, making this Liber the official version for the traditional editions (1962) of the Roman Breviary, Missal and reformed Holy Week ceremonies.
2010 pages, black cloth hardbound with gold-embossing on spine, sewn, red page edging, 7 ribbons.
Customer Reviews
I absolutely love my liber only criticism is that the rubric are all in Latin. I would like to have all explanations in the English and then all of course the Gregorian Chant in Latin. I know apparently there is an edition of the liber that does have the English rubrics but I cannot find one. I did add a couple of hymns that were not in the labour in full such as the Parce Domine and the memento conditor
Beautiful, well-made book promptly delivered in excellent condition. The only thing that could be improved is that the font on the cover of the copy we received was not as handsome as the one shown on the website. But all in all it was not a big deal.
Same quality as an antique version.
This book is amazing. It's all in latin and has every chant for every occasion. I'd read a copy on my e-reader before but it didn't feel appropriated for serious study or devotion. Now I have this, it's an absolute joy to learn the chants and sing them to the Holy Trinity in my chamber. You'll never need a book mark as there are so many ribbons, which makes learning multiple chants at once a breeze! As always with Angelus Press, the printing, binding, paper and font are all perfect. This book is a life-changer. It arrived to Australia in under a week. Thank you Angelus Press! May God bless your mission.
This thing is HUGE yet it doesn't feel like ot weighs a lot. Its convenient having all this in one place. I will say this: Good luck learning it. To me its a lot of fun.
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