The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book — Context and Discussion

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Authors: Montani, Nicola A. (Nicola Aloysius), 1880-1948 [Editor] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2007 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Hymns, English; Catholic Church -- Hymns; Service books (Music) -- Catholic Church; Hymns, Latin Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 47,238

Reading time 206 min

Text sections 10

The catalog record for The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book — Context and Discussion provides practical reading context through 47,238 words, 3 hr 26 min estimated reading time, and 10 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 12.5 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Hymns, English,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #23673

An editorial note on Nicola A. Montani's 1920 hymnal, examining its dual-language structure, the transcriber's personal recollections, and the practical indexing system that bridges Latin and English hymns for choir use.

Editorial Edition Score 4.8/5

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
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Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

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Edition quality

File: pg23673

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The thought of Jesus crucified.

O'erwhelmed in depths of woe Saevo dolorum turbine

Tr. Rev. E. Caswall Nicola A. Montani

1. O'erwhelmed in depths of woe, Upon the Tree of scorn Hangs the Redeemer of mankind, With racking anguish torn.

2. See! How the nails those Hands And Feet so tender rend; See! Down His Face, and Neck, and Breast, His sacred Blood descend.

3. Hark! With what awful cry, His Spirit takes its flight; That cry, it smote His Mother's heart And wrapt her soul in night.

4. Come, fall before His Cross, Who shed for us His blood; Who dies, the victim of pure love, To make us Sons of God.

5. Jesu! All praise to Thee, Our joy and endless rest; Be Thou our Guide while pilgrims here, Our Crown amid the blest.

All glory, laud and honor

From the Latin of St.Theodulph by Dr. J. M. Neale M. Haydn

1. All glory, laud, and honor To Thee Redeemer, King, To Whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring.

Refrain All glory, laud, and honor, To Thee Redeemer, King, To Whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring.

2. Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David's royal Son, Who in the Lord's name comest The King and blessed One.

3. The company of angels Are praising Thee on high, And mortal men and all things Created make reply.

4. The people of the Hebrews With palms before them went; To praise and pray'r and anthems Before Thee we present.

5. To Thee before Thy Passion They sang their hymn of praise; To Thee now high exalted Our melody we raise.

6. Thou didst accept their praises, Accept the pray'rs we bring, Who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King.

Jesus Christ is risen today Processional Surrexit Christus hodie

Translated by the Rev. J. O'Connor Nicola A. Montani

1. Jesus Christ is ris'n today! (Solo) Alleluia! (Chorus) Sinners, wipe your tears away! (Solo) Alleluia! (Chorus) He Whose death upon the Cross (Solo) Alleluia! (Chorus) Saveth us from endless loss. (Solo) Alleluia! (Chorus)

2. See the holy women come, Alleluia! Bearing spices to the tomb; Alleluia! Hear the white-clad Angel's voice Alleluia! Bid the universe rejoice! Alleluia!

3. Go! Tell all his brethren dear, Alleluia! "He is ris'n, He is not here! Alleluia! Seek Him not among the dead; Alleluia! He has risen as He said." Alleluia!

4. Glory, Jesus, be to Thee! Alleluia! Thine own might hath set Thee free. Alleluia! Come, for primal joy restored, Alleluia! Let us bless our Pascal Lord! Alleluia!

"Ye Sons and daughters of the Lord" (No. 1) O Filii et Filiae Processional

Jean Tisserand (1494) Tr. Rev. E. Caswall Traditional Melody from "Airs sur les Hymnes sacres, Odes et Noels," (Paris 1623)

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

1. Ye sons and daughters of the Lord! The King of glory, King adored, This day Himself from death restored. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

2. All in the early morning grey Went holy women on their way, To see the tomb where Jesus lay. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

3. Of spices pure a precious store In their pure hands those women bore, To anoint the Sacred Body o'er. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

4. Then straightway One in white they see, Who saith, "Ye seek the Lord; but He Is ris'n, and gone to Galilee." Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

5. This told they Peter, told they John, Who forthwith to the tomb are gone; But Peter is by John outrun. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

6. That selfsame night, while out of fear The doors were shut, their Lord most dear To His Apostles did appear. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

7. But Thomas when of this He heard, Was doubtful of his brethren's word; Wherefore again there comes the Lord. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

8. "Thomas, behold My Side" saith He; "My Hands, My Feet, My Body see, And doubt not, but believe in Me." Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

9. When Thomas saw that wounded Side, The truth no longer he denied; "Thou art my Lord and God," he cried. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

10. Oh, blest are they who have not seen Their Lord, and yet believe in Him: Eternal life awaiteth them. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

11. Now let us praise the Lord most high, And strive His Name to magnify On this great day through earth and sky: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

12. Whose mercy ever runneth o'er, Whom men and Angel Hosts adore, To Him be glory ever more. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

"Ye sons and daughters of the Lord" (No. 2) O Filii et Filiae

Jean Tisserand (died 1494) Tr. Rev. E. Caswall Melody taken from the Gloria of the Magnificat terii toni by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

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Nicola A. Montani's The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book (1920) presents itself as a practical collection, yet its editorial voice emerges through the transcriber's notes rather than Montani's own. The transcriber, Don Kostuch, opens with a vivid memory: standing five feet from shouting organ pipes in a choir loft, a detail that grounds the hymnal in lived liturgical experience. He admits his Latin is limited to two high school years from fifty years prior, and that poetic meter may be incorrect—an honest limitation that shapes the digital edition's approach.

The Transcriber's Lens

The transcriber's notes are the most personal element of this edition. Kostuch writes, "I fondly remember singing from the St. Gregory hymnal in grade school," and describes the organ pipes as stretching "from floor to ceiling." This recollection colors the entire project: he aims to provide a source for singers who love "old Latin hymns," calling them "Oldies, but goodies." His admission of limited Latin—"the precise meanings and poetic meter is lost on me"—is a rare moment of self-awareness in a reference work. It suggests that the digital text may contain structural errors in poetic formatting, though he claims to have "carefully compared the printed text with the transcription." The reader should approach the Latin hymns with this caveat in mind.

Dual-Language Architecture

The hymnal is divided into English and Latin sections, each with its own index of first lines. The English hymns include titles like "Hark! A Mystic Voice is Sounding" (Advent) and "On those who at Thine altar kneel," while the Latin section lists Adeste Fideles, Ave Maria, and Kyrie Eleison. Montani's compilation is described as "A Complete Collection of approved English and Latin Hymns, Liturgical Motets and appropriate Devotional Music for the various seasons of the Liturgical Year." The dual-language structure reflects the bilingual reality of Catholic liturgy in the early 20th century, where Latin remained the official language but English hymns were increasingly used for congregational participation.

Indexing and Navigation

The digital edition preserves page numbers for easy reference to the original book, a departure from standard Project Gutenberg practice. The HTML index provides hymn numbers and page numbers; clicking on a hymn number takes you to the text, while clicking on page numbers displays the original page image. Image files are named systematically: N145_P226.gif indicates hymn 145, page 226. This design allows users to search by a few remembered words and find the full text. The transcriber also notes that some files contain facing pages because they are "read and sung using both pages." This attention to the physical layout of the original hymnal—a small book measuring 4.3 by 6.0 inches—shows a commitment to preserving the user experience of a choir member holding the book in hand.

Readers should treat the Latin texts with caution due to the transcriber's acknowledged limitations, but the English hymns and the indexing system are reliable. The hymnal is best used as a reference for identifying hymns by fragmentary text, or for exploring the repertoire of early 20th-century Catholic liturgical music. The personal warmth of the transcriber's notes adds a layer of affection that a purely scholarly edition would lack.

Flipping through Montani’s hymnal, I kept noticing how his dual-language index felt like a quiet bridge between two worlds—Latin and English, old and new. It reminded me of another old companion, where the incidental details, the footnotes and the margins, seemed to carry their own music. Shakespeare and Music — Edition Insights held that same unhurried patience, as if both editors simply trusted the reader to find the harmony on their own.