This 1607 edition of the Graduale Romanum is a large-format liturgical choir book, produced in Antwerp by the printer Joachim Trognesius. It was issued following the revisions to the Roman Missal mandated by the Archdiocese of Mechelen (Malines), reflecting the evolving liturgical standards of the post-Tridentine Church.

Bound in a substantial folio format, the volume is printed on paper and arranged in a complex collation sequence indicating multiple gatherings and quires, as common in large-scale liturgical publications of the period. The text is composed in Latin, which was the standard liturgical language of the Roman Catholic Church. The printing makes careful use of red and black inks: red for rubrics and certain headings, and black for the main text and the square Gregorian chant notation. These square notes are laid out over red-ruled staves, facilitating the performance of the sung portions of the Mass.

The title page is both textually and visually engaging. It includes finely executed engravings—such as architectural elements, symbolic figures, and a central heraldic device—reflecting the care and expense invested in producing an aesthetically impressive and authoritative volume. Illustrations, ornate initials, and other decorative typographic elements throughout the book signal its liturgical importance and status.

The Graduale Romanum presents the musical settings for the chants sung during the Mass. As a direct result of the liturgical reforms following the Council of Trent, it aligns with the Roman rite’s standardized repertoire. Clerical and monastic communities would have used such a volume for communal singing, placing it on a lectern so that an entire choir could read from it. Its size and durable binding—often reinforced with metal bosses—were designed to withstand regular and prolonged use.

In sum, this 1607 Antwerp edition is an important witness to the liturgical, musical, and artistic practices of the early seventeenth-century Catholic Church in the Low Countries. Its production by a well-regarded printer, its refined visual presentation, and its carefully corrected text and chant notation all reflect the era’s commitment to uniformity, reverence, and splendor in the service of the liturgy.