Hymnal Features

Features by Hymnal Edition
Edition Mass Text Musical Settings Hymns Bene- diction Std. Indices Bonus Indices
Latin Eng. Latin (neumes) Latin (modern) Eng. (modern) Melody Only Full Harmony details details details
Standard or Choir x x x x x x x x
Melody or Pew x x x x x x x
Organ+ x x x x x x

Notes + – The Organ Edition is especially arranged for organ accompaniment of Mass settings and hymns, in a special binder with large pages (binder measures 8.5" x 11").

Recordings All the music in the hymnal will be recorded by a choir and posted online as MP3 files. The recordings will include all the Masses and the first stanza and refrains of the hymns. See the Downloadable MP3s page for available recordings.

Printable PDFs PDFs of the all the new Mass settings in the hymnal are available for download online. Visit the Adoremus site's Index of Ordinaries to download them.

Major Features

Following the general plan in Musicam Sacram, the Holy See's Instruction on Sacred Music, the Adoremus Hymnal consists of three major sections:

  1. The Order of the Mass

    Standard and Melody editions include texts for the unchanging parts of the Mass in Latin and English (on facing pages) with basic Mass chants (responses and acclamations) imbedded within the texts.

  2. Musical settings for the Ordinary of the Mass

    Eight traditional Latin chant (two settings added to the original six) and four newly composed Mass settings in English of the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei — plus music for the new Acclamations.

  3. Hymns

    The Adoremus Hymnal provides a careful selection of hymns and chants for every season of the liturgical year (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, etc.), for other liturgical feasts and holidays, and for devotions.

    Many traditional hymns (and all the Sequences) appear in both Latin and English.

    The chants from Jubilate Deo, Pope Paul VI's 1974 collection of Latin chant sent to all the bishops, are included in the new edition.

Other Great Features

Exposition, Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

The hymnal includes a basic service for Exposition, Adoration, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, in both Latin and English.

Powerful Indices

A good index is helpful to the congregation and the choir master alike. The Adoremus Hymnal comes with two levels of indices, designed to provide everyone with what they'll need.

  1. Standard – Standard indices are included in all editions of the hymnal. Includes:
    • Index of Ordinaries
    • Index of hymns by first line
    • Index by liturgical season or occasion
  2. Bonus/Additional – Additional indices are provided in the Standard and Organ editions. Indexes the work by:
    • Tune Names
    • Metrical Tunes
    • Authors and Sources
    • Translators
    • Composers and Sources
    • Harmonizations and Arrangements
    • Scriptural references

Quality Production

The Adoremus Hymnal is beautifully and sturdily bound, using the highest quality acid-free natural paper.

The hymnal is available in three versions (Standard, Melody, and Organ). Compare the features included these editions by using the table above.

New: The Organ Edition now comes in a bigger, easier-to-handle package: an 8.5" x 11" binder, especially arranged for organ accompaniment of Mass settings and hymns.

More Resources

As mentioned above, all the music in the hymnal will be recorded by a choir and posted online as MP3 files. The recordings will include all the Masses and the first stanza and refrains of the hymns. See the Downloadable MP3s page for available recordings.

Additionally, PDFs of the all the new Mass settings in the hymnal are available for download online. Visit the Adoremus site's Index of Ordinaries to download them.

Yet more resources can be found at www.adoremus.org.