Here is the Roman Gradual (Graduale Romanum) from 1974 with the early neumes taken from two manuscripts: St. Gall (in red) and Laon (in black). This is the result of decades of research by Dom Eugene Cardine whose work revealed the beauty and nuance of the Gregorian rhythm. This book contains all the music for the Mass according to the Roman rite and the revised Roman calendar. This volume is essential for the study of the interpretation of the Gregorian pieces of the Mass. Before each chant, the specific manuscripts are identified with the page or folio number. This is a great tool for scholars, choirmasters and musicologists and was published by Solesmes in 1979.
Since the refounding of the monastery of St. Peter of Solesmes in 1833 under Dom Prosper Gueranger, this Benedictine monastery on the River Sarthe in western France has set the world standard both for the performance of Gregorian chant and the authenticity of the music itself. Commissioned by Pope Pius X to research the role of chant in liturgy and to edit books on chant that reflect this research, Solesmes enjoys an enviable reputation. Its work in liturgical reform and in the current revival of Gregorian chant has been likened to that of the great abbey of Cluny in the Middle Ages. These recordings incorporate new understandings of ancient manuscripts and represent a distillation of nearly 200 years of scholarship in the chant: musical paleography, semiology, and modality. The groundbreaking work by the monks of Solesmes has contributed to today’s resurgence of interest in Gregorian chant as the foundation of Western music.
