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Views from the Choir Loft

Are the Solesmes editions in conformity with the official edition?

Jeff Ostrowski · May 24, 2020

HAVE OFTEN said that only a lunatic would try to restore the official “pure” Editio Vaticana since the “Dom Mocquereau” rhythm has reigned supreme for 110 years. For one thing, there’s ambiguity about locating the mora vocis for a Virga which “commands” the notes around it. To learn more about that ambiguity, visit this page and scroll down to the section marked Invisible White Notes—then look for the section which speaks of an “unforgivable mistake.” Moreover, even the “pure” Editio Vaticana editions (inexplicably) don’t adhere to the official rhythm.

The first Alleluia from this morning is a case in point.

We begin with the “Dom Mocquereau” rhythm—which has not changed since 1908. Notice how they ignore the morae vocis where red arrows point:

The 1917 Schwann ought to adhere to the official rhythm. However, they fail to hold the “blue arrow” notes, which should be elongated since they are part of a neume. It sounds beautiful as they mark it, but it’s technically wrong:

Dr. Francis Xavier Mathias gets an A+ because he adheres perfectly to the official rhythm:

The 1953 Schwann editors (Abbot Urbanus Bomm, Karl Gustav Fellerer, and Msgr. Johannes Overath) claim to follow the “pure” Editio Vaticana rhythm—yet, they inexplicably tell the singer to ignore the moræ vocis…which is quite surprising!

As usual, the Nova Organi Harmonia matches the “pure” Editio Vaticana rhythm perfectly, although they rely on the organist to hold the “blue arrow” notes; that is to say, their method is to mark the morae with a single dot, even when the neume is to be elongated:

If you’re interested in this subject, feel free to read this 2008 article:

*  PDF Download • Is The Editio Vaticana A Rhythmic Edition?
—2008 article by Jeff Ostrowski published in the Sacred Music Journal.

We end up right where we began: While it’s true the Solesmes editions contradict the Vaticana rhythm (and technically are not allowed), there is no edition that conforms perfectly to the official rhythm!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Dom Mocquereau, Editio Vaticana Preface, Pure Vatican Edition Rhythm, Solesmes Abbey Rhythm Last Updated: May 24, 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

“The Jesuits have spoiled the work of Christian antiquity, under pretext of restoring the hymns in accordance with the laws of metre and elegant language.”

— M. Ulysse Chevalier (1891)

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