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Corpus Christi Watershed

Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Lesson 8: Salicus vs. Scandicus

Many singers cannot tell the difference between a Scandicus and a Salicus in the Editio Vaticana:

As you can see, the Salicus can be recognized (with some effort!) because a “thin sheet of paper” could be inserted between the first note and the last two, like so:

As Joseph Gogniat has pointed out:

A little later, he explains in more detail:

Please read all that he has to say about the Salicus on pages 31-32 (PDF). If you have completed the lesson the Vatican Edition, you will understand his final paragraph, noting that if Pothier had added more “white space,” the meaning would be quite different.

Therefore, the Salicus in the Vaticana is fairly straightforward. However, Dom Mocquereau throws us a “curve ball.” Mocquereau has his own definition of the Salicus:

That definition (found in the 1961 Liber Usualis) is, perhaps, more clear and thorough than one given in Solesmes’ Mass & Vespers (1957):

Incidentally, this same definition is given (in Latin) for the 1924 Liber Usualis:

Now let us examine the neum table from Mass & Vespers (below). This table is slightly “deceptive” (for reasons that will be made clear below) in the sense that it puts an ictus on a “true” Vaticana Salicus — in other words, one that you could put a “thin sheet of paper” between:

The reader is encouraged to read what Dom Mocquereau has to say about the Salicus in Le Nombre Musical Grégorien, Pages 401-411 (PDF). When reading, you may notice that Mocquereau also allows the horizontal episema to signal a Salicus:

As a matter of fact, Mocquereau had originally wanted to place horizontal episemata under the Salicus, but he could not, because the Sacred Congregation of Rites forbade him to alter the notes of the Vaticana. This is confirmed by a note in the front of the 1934 Liber Usualis:

As shown below, a horizontal episema works for places where there is a “true” Salicus (as defined by the Vatican Edition), but not for places where the Vaticana marks a Scandicus, but Solesmes wants a Salicus. “1A” shows a Vaticana Salicus. “2A” shows how Mocquereau would have preferred to mark his Salicus. “3A” shows why Mocquereau could not do this. 4A is a “true” Salicus, which Solesmes also marked as one. “5A” is a Vaticana Scandicus which Solesmes calls a Salicus. “6A” is a Vaticana Salicus, which Solemes marks as a Scandicus!

Now, let us observe some actual examples. “1B” shows a Vaticana Salicus which Solesmes pretends is a Scandicus. “2B” is a Vaticana Scandicus which Solesmes pretends is a Salicus. The same can be said about “3B” and “4B”:

There appears to be some confusion in the neum charts when it comes to a “little black line” that connects the Scandicus. I do not believe I have ever seen such a line in the Vaticana, yet even as late as 1924, the Solesmes Liber puts it on the Scandicus:

Joseph Gogniat (Little Grammar of Gregorian Chant, 1939) also seems to imply that such a line is technically possible in the Vaticana, but (again) I cannot recall ever seeing one:

Dom Gregory Suñol (Gregorian Chant According to the Solesmes Method, 1929) gives this little chart, which also seems to imply that the “little black connecting line” is possible in the Vaticana:

Lura Heckenlively (Fundamentals of Gregorian Chant, 1950) does likewise:

Let us now consider a few historical points of interest. The Vatican Edition of the Kyriale was published in 1905, but had no Preface of any kind. The Vaticana Preface was published with the Graduale in 1908. When the Vatican Kyriale appeared in 1905, there was much confusion about how to form the notes. Some day, I would like to document this in a more satisfactory way, as I have collected many different publishers’ versions of the Kyriale from 1905. In any event, let us consider the Preface to Mocquereau’s version of the Vatican Kyriale, published in 1905. The pages have deteriorated over the last century, so I have typed the words in purple:

Then, later on, Mocquereau clarifies what he said about the “white space” of the Salicus:

Incidentally, out of all the Solesmes books I have, this is the only one whose Preface is signed. Mocquereau usually preferred to work incognito. Incidentally, the table above is identical to the one found in the Solesmes Kyriale of 1904, which, apart from this introductory material, differs radically from the Vatican Edition of 1905 (as you might imagine):

Let us consider another interesting item. Dr. Peter Wagner, champion of Pothier’s Vaticana, does not even draw a distinction between the Salicus and Scandicus! What must his student, Gogniat, have thought? In his 1905 Organ Accompaniments to the Kyriale, Wagner prints this:

Perhaps Dr. Wagner was confused by Pothier’s earlier publications, where no distinction was made between Salicus and Scandicus:

Here is an interesting puzzle found in the 1922 Liber Usualis of Solesmes. As you can see, in their introductory notes, they pretend as if their version of the Salicus is identical to the Vaticana Salicus:

However, in the actual piece of music, notice that they are not allowed to alter the spacing:

Finally, it should be noted that in recent years, there have been more and more theories about the Salicus. These theories will treated in a later lesson (since this section is already too long!). In particular, some have suggested that during the 9th century (and later), the Salicus may have been performed with an emphasis on the last note (for groups of three notes). Scholars disagree on this: some have become convinced, while others feel this notion is based in large part on speculation and, while certainly a possibility, cannot be proven in a satisfactory manner. In general, the trend among scholarship has been to stop making generalizations about the entire corpus of Cantus Gregorianus, focusing instead on the local variations of chant performance presented by the myriad of MSS. Another way to put this would be to say that scholarship is moving away from the “authentic source” theory, and looking more and more at the entire tradition (no longer just two or three families of MSS). In fairness, for several decades, many scholars had access only to MSS printed in the Paléographie Musicale, but with more and more libraries putting MSS online, this is no longer the case.

Regarding these new theories about the Salicus, whether one is convinced or not ultimately makes no difference. The question is what impact (if any) these would have on the performance of the Vaticana. After all, the Vaticana never claimed to be an authentic edition of any particular ancient MS. As a matter of fact, Pothier went to great lengths to make clear that the Vaticana is based on the entire chant tradition, and not this or that specific in campo aperto manuscript. Finally, as scholars have known for close to a century, it is without question absolutely true that the notes in the Vatican Edition do not correspond perfectly to individual notes sung in the 8th through 10th centuries, so applying rhythmic theories based on specific MSS from that era is problematic for a whole host of reasons.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “21 September 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 21 September 2025) discusses some theological items—supported by certain verses in ancient Catholic hymns—and ends by explaining why certain folks become delirious with jealousy when they observe feats by Monsignor Ronald Knox.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
    It’s always amusing to see old diocesan newspapers—in huge capital letters—advertising the Cheapest Catholic Paper in the United States. The correspondent who sent this to me added: “I can think of certain composers, published by large companies in our own day, who could truthfully brag about the most tawdry compositions in the world!” I wonder what she could have meant by such a cryptic comment…
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Dom Murray Harmonies
    Along with so many others, I have deep respect for Dom Gregory Gregory Murray, who produced this clever harmonization (PDF) of “O SANCTISSIMA.” It’s always amazed me that Dom Gregory—a truly inspired composer—was so confused when it came to GREGORIAN CHANT. Throughout his life, he published contradictory statements, veering back-and-forth like a weather vane. Toward the end of his life, he declared: “I see clearly that the need for reform in liturgical music arose, not in the 18th and 19th centuries, but a thousand years earlier—in the 8th and 9th centuries, or even before that. The abuses began, not with Mozart and Haydn, but with those over-enthusiastic medieval musicians who developed the elaborate and flamboyant Gregorian Chant.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Karl Keating • “Canonization Questions”
    We were sent an internet statement (screenshot) that’s garnered significant attention, in which KARL KEATING (founder of Catholic Answers) speaks about whether canonizations are infallible. Mr. Keating seems unaware that canonizations are—in the final analysis—a theological opinion. They are not infallible, as explained in this 2014 article by a priest (with a doctorate in theology) who worked for multiple popes. Mr. Keating says: “I’m unaware of such claims arising from any quarter until several recent popes disliked by these Traditionalists were canonized, including John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. Usually Paul VI receives the most opprobrium.” Mr. Keating is incorrect; e.g. Father John Vianney, several centuries ago, taught clearly that canonizations are not infallible. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen would be another example, although clearly much more recent than Saint John Vianney.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Vatican II Changed Wedding Propers?
    It’s often claimed that the wedding propers were changed after Vatican II. As a matter of fact, that is a false claim. The EDITIO VATICANA propers (Introit: Deus Israel) remained the same after Vatican II. However, a new set of propers (Introit: Ecce Deus) was provided for optional use. The same holds true for the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great on 3 September: the 1943 propers (Introit: Si díligis me) were provided for optional use, but the traditional PROPRIA MISSAE (Introit: Sacerdótes Dei) were retained; they weren’t gotten rid of. The Ordo Cantus Missae (1970) makes this crystal clear, as does the Missal itself. There was an effort made in the post-conciliar years to eliminate so-called “Neo-Gregorian” chants, but (contrary to popular belief) most were retained: cf. the feast of Christ the King, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and so forth.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The scholar who lives only for his subject is but the fragment of a man; he lives in a shadow-world, mistaking means for ends.”

— Msgr. Ronald Knox (1888-1957)

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