Graduale simplex ("Simple Gradual") is a

gradual The gradual ( or ) is a certain chant or hymn in liturgical Christian worship. It is practiced in the Catholic Mass, Lutheran Divine Service, Anglican service and other traditions. It gets its name from the Latin (meaning "step") because i ...

in Latin and in

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

, published by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

in 1967 following the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

, so that the use of Gregorian chant can adapt to smaller parishes and churches or to those who lack experienced choirs. Its full title is ''Graduale simplex in usum minorum ecclesiarum'' (simple gradual for the use of small churches).

Constitution on liturgy

The publication of the first edition of the ''Graduale simplex'' was achieved in 1967, as a reworking of the Gregorian chant book in order to satisfy the ''

Sacrosanctum Concilium ''Sacrosanctum Concilium'', the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, is one of the constitutions of the Second Vatican Council. It was approved by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,147 to 4 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 4 December 1963. T ...

'' Constitution of 4 December 1963, following the Second Vatican Council.

History

There have been two editions of the ''Graduale Simplex'' : the first was published by the Holy See in 1967. The second, revised and definitive edition, was published in 1975 and has been re-printed since then. The Graduale simplex in its definitive edition includes the

Kyriale The Kyriale is a collection of Gregorian chant settings for the Ordinary of the Mass. It contains eighteen Masses (each consisting of the Kyrie, Gloria ferias and Sundays in Advent and Lent], Sanctus, and Agnus Dei (liturgy), Agnus Dei), six C ...

simplex, as well as some famous

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

: ''

Te Deum The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...

'', '' Veni Creator'', ''Te decet laus'', etc.

Editions

* ''Graduale simplex in usum minorum ecclesiarum'', 1st edition, Vatican 1967. * ''Graduale simplex in usum minorum ecclesiarum'', 2nd edition, Libreria editrice Vaticana, Vatican 1975, 515 p.

References

External links

''Graduale simplex'', published by Solesmes Editions

Graduale Simplex
{{Mass of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church Roman Rite liturgical books Catholic liturgical music Mass in the Catholic Church