Propers

Mass Propers

A collection of score files, in Gregorian chant notation, for the Propers of the Mass (those parts of the Mass which vary from day to day during the Liturgical Year). The files are in PDF format for ease of downloading and printing.  These are the scores used at this time by our choir; they will be updated as the choir adds more complex arrangements.

Videos and MP3 sound files demonstrating how to sing the propers can be found at Corpus Christi Watershed.  Note that the examples at Corpus Christi Watershed may vary slightly from these score files.

The notes below provide further information about the naming conventions used by these files, and some further information about the arrangements contained therein.

The choir is in the process of moving to a Full Tone version of the Offertory.  This requires a new set of score files, which we are in the process of creating.  During this process, updated score files will be identified below.

Propers Chant Scores for the Liturgical Year

Advent

Updated March 2023 to include Full Tone Offertory.

Christmastide

Updated March 2023 to include Full Tone Offertory.

Epiphany

Updated January 2023 to include Full Tone Offertory.

Septuagesimatide

Updated January 2023 to include Full Tone Offertory.

Lent

Updated January 2023 to include Full Tone Offertory.

Easter

Updated March 2023 to include Full Tone Offertory.

Time After Pentecost

Updated March 2023 to include Full Tone Offertory.

Feastdays

Propers for other Feastdays during the year where the choir might do a sung Mass.  These are usually fixed calendar feastdays, which often fall on a weekday, including Marian feastdays, feastdays of our Lord Jesus Christ, and feastdays of various Saints.

Score Files and Naming Conventions

The PDF score files were produced using Ben Bloomfield’s GABC generator for propers.  More information about the GABC tools can be found at Gregorio Gregowiki.

The propers generator tool is quite flexible, and can generate score files in a variety of font sizes, and with any desired mixture of propers, using either Full Tone or Psalm Tone versions as desired.  The files available here are the ones currently used by our choir.  They normally use 12 point font size, and normally (with some exceptions) contain a mixture of Full Tone and Psalm Tone propers.  Most of the time (with some exceptions) the Introit and Communion are Full Tone; others propers are usually Psalm Tone.  The file name  provides more specific information about the propers contained in that file.

Most of the PDF score files follow a naming convention, which provides information about the contents and format of the propers contained in the file.  The file name consists of several parts, each separated by hyphens:

  1. Liturgical Calendar identifier: several letters specifying the Sunday or Feast day.
  2. Font size, in points.
  3. Propers Identifier: a series of letters showing which Proper scores are included in the file.  Upper case denotes a Full Tone proper, lower case denotes a Psalm Tone proper.  These may include:  Introit (I/i), Gradual (G/g), Alleluia (A/a), Tract (T/t), Sequence (S/s), Offertory (O/o), Communion (C/c) and Hymn (H/h).
  4. Propers Format: a code showing which type of Propers the score file contains:
    • FP: contains only Full Propers
    • PP: contains only Psalm Tone Propers
    • MP: contains a mixture of Full Propers and Psalm Tone Propers.  This is the most common format for our files

For example, the file PS-12-IaaSOC-MP.pdf would be Pentecost Sunday, font size 12 points, containing scores for Introit (Full Tone), two Alleluias, Sequence (Full Tone), Offertory (Full Tone) and Communion (Full Tone).  There may also be an additional suffix such as R2, which would indicate Revision 2, perhaps identifying a corrected version of the file.