The project's composer John Ainslie, an internationally respected liturgist and musician, believes that chant is a musical idiom that continues to have an important (but not exclusive) role in the Catholic liturgy. English Proper Chants reflects his conviction that the use of chant in English requires sensitive handling in order to respect and reflect the particular rhythms of the language.

Both melody (5-line modern notation) and accompaniment editions are available. The accompaniment edition is printed in a convenient, coil-bound format that allows it to lie flat on music stands, while the melody edition is perfect-bound (paperback). Indices of antiphons and of psalms are included in each. Pagination is identical in both editions for easy combined use. Purchase includes permission to reprint antiphon texts and music from melody edition on one-time copies (e.g., newsletters) for congregational use.