Posted on by Adam Bartlett

Simple Propers for the Advent Season

The Simple English Propers for the Advent Season are now complete:

As a reminder, the complete Simple English Propers project is now being indexed on the Church Music Association of America website. Bookmark this page and refer to it often as updates are made.

I have printed off copies of the Advent Season materials for my choirs in a simple 8.5 x 11 booklet, folded and stapled, with a few simple clicks using our parishes standard office grade printer/copier. I didn’t fit to page or anything. The book size will be 6 x 9, but the contents still fit quite nicely on the 5.5 x 8.5 page which is the result when a booklet is made out of 8.5 x 11 size paper, though the bottom margin is a bit tight.

Here is a shot of the inside contents:


I don’t know if this capability is extraordinary to you, but I find it to be quite remarkable. That we can print this sort of resource on demand on standard office copiers and give it to our choirs to use in liturgy immediately is rather astounding, I think. What a world we live in today. How different is it from the days when we had to rely on commercial publishers to sell us paper?

Of course when this book is completed it will be released into the commons and the digital PDF files will be shared with the world for free forever on the internet. You will be able to make custom resources such as these ad infinitum for your music program. Thanks be to God for all that we can do with modern technology!

Can I tell you what I’m really excited about though…

9 Replies to “Simple Propers for the Advent Season”

  1. I admit that I was startled at first to see the page folds. At first look, it seemed like the book itself! These are thrilling pictures. I hope everyone who is reading realizes that this could become the mainstream gateway through which sacred music enters the average parish in this country for the first time since who know when. This project has been a long time coming and I'm thrilled to be able to watch it coming into being one Sunday at a time.

  2. Many thanks, Adam. This incredible effort to offer to parishes these resources easily and without cost, other than the paper used to print the propers can only be described as inspired. Even though I am formally retired as a music director, I will make every effort in the parishes where I sub make these proper booklets known. The excuse that many directors use (we have no materials) has been removed. May the Lord continue to bless your work.
    Redcat, CAGO

  4. As one of the collaborators on this project, with laborers from two continents, let me offer public thanks to Adam for keeping this thing moving.

    It is a blessing to be able to work on something with this potential. "The Bartlett Propers" has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

  5. Adam thank you so much for these tremendous resources. I am using them with our choir (Schola) through Advent and beyond. Cantors sing the Introit from the Gregorian Missal and the "Bartlett Propers" (yes, it does have a ring to it) are sung at the Offertory and/or Communion. Thank you!!

  6. Will you be posting one for Immaculate Conception? These are BEAUTIFUL and so singable for a small schola…Many thanks.

  7. Many thanks for the wonderful work you do. I am using these with a beginning Schola at the Cathedral of Christ the Light, and as has been mentioned before, they are beautiful and very easily singable – making it even more worthwhile for a small parish with limited resources.

  9. Dear Adam,

    Thanks for the idea of loading them into my iPad. I just did it, and they look great!

    The way to do this is simply to email the PDF to yourself, and then open that email in your iPad. Then you can read the PDF, and it will live on your iPad until you delete that piece of email.

    The new Graduale Digitale has arrived!

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