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Views from the Choir Loft

1934 “Antiphonale Monasticum” (Solesmes Abbey) • Free PDF Download!

Jeff Ostrowski · December 4, 2013

THE FAMOUS 1934 Antiphonale Monasticum published by the monks of Solesmes can now be downloaded in its entirety:

* *  Part 1 of 3 • pp. 1 – 363

* *  Part 2 of 3 • pp. 364 – 763

* *  Part 3 of 3 • pp. 764 – 1,296

Part 3 had some missing pages. These were added as of 10 December 2013 thanks to Gustav Valencia.

Father Brian T. Austin, FSSP, has created a B/W version—based on our scanned copy—which can be downloaded:

*  PDF Download • ANTIPHONALE MONASTICUM (1934)
—Scanned and uploaded by Corpus Christi Watershed.

IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE that Fr. Paul Jausions (†1870) was born in 1834, precisely a century before the publication of the Antiphonale Monasticum. After Jausions’ death (in America!), his associate, Fr. Joseph Pothier, took the reins, and history knows what he was able to accomplish. The 1934 Antiphonale, however, might be regarded as the “crowning achievement” of the Solesmes monastery (unless it was the 1903 Liber Usualis). Dom Gajard is generally believed to have been the motivating force behind its publication.

Not everyone appreciated this work. In 1960, Msgr. Francis P. Schmitt wrote in the Caecilia:

“The Monastic Antiphonal is proof that the archaeologists never gave up. One can have no objection to the adherents of Solesmes singing what they please, but it is a fair and conjured guess that a cursory reading of the Monastic Antiphonary, and other books said to be in preparation, will make most people grateful that the like was not released upon the unsuspecting public some fifty years ago.”

THOSE WHO WISH TO LEARN MORE about Abbot Joseph Pothier, Fr. André Mocquereau, and the Vatican Edition might be interested in the following:

VIDEOS:   01   •   02   •   03   •   04   •   05   •   06   •   07

Article by Jeff Ostrowski — The rhythm of the Vatican Edition (PDF)

(1906) Fr. Henry Bewerunge’s Attack on the Vatican Edition (PDF)

(1906) Prior T. A. Burge, O.S.B. Defense of the Vatican Edition (PDF)

(1907) Dr. Peter Wagner’s Article on the Vatican Edition (PDF)

A few extra items worth noting:

Alternate Version of Article (with minor changes)
Hayburn Dissertation (Page 317)
Translation Explained

961 Antiphonale Monasticum

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: 1934 Solesmes Antiphonale Monasticum, Editio Vaticana Preface, Hayburn Mora Vocis, Peter Wagner 1906, Pothier De Caetero 1906, Preface to the Vatican Edition, Virga English Translation Ostrowski Last Updated: November 29, 2020

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Jeff Ostrowski

About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski
15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski
15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Chants closely related to the readings should, of course, be appropriately transferred for use with these readings. For pastoral reasons also there is an option regarding the chants for the Proper of Seasons: namely, as circumstances suggest, to replace the text proper to a day with another text belonging to the same season.”

— Ordo Cantus Missae (1971)

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