ACK IN 2008, Watershed placed online about 30,000 pages of rare Gregorian books. Most of these books—including the 1903 Liber Usualis of Mocquereau—were not previously available. Over the years, I’ve tried to bring attention to the «Manuale» by Solesmes, which we placed in three versions: 1903 Gregorian, 1903 Modern, and 1902. My efforts have not been very successful, by and large.
Today, let me share two instances of the value of these books. In Dom Mocquereau’s rhythmic version of the Editio Vaticana Gloria IX, I’ve always wondered why he seemingly neglects a dot, shown in pink:
When we examine the 1903 «Manuale» and the 1903 Liber Usualis, we see this dot also missing. In other words, Mocquereau did not make a mistake in 1905, when Pothier published the Editio Vaticana.
Consider, also, the PREFACE—is it not fascinating? Remember, this is the year 1903, more than a decade before the first world war:
If you appreciate Watershed making these books available, please consider the possibility of donating $5.00 per month. There is still so much that needs to be done!
