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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Extremely Rare! • Pages from the “Directorium Chori” (Solesmes Abbey, 1864)

Jeff Ostrowski · November 29, 2020

OM PAUL JAUSIONS and Dom Joseph Pothier were both ordained priests in 1858. These two monks were the ones who restored plainson: the authentic rhythm, the true musical pitches (“tones”), and the “type-fonts” of the traditional notation. Both of them spent hours copying ancient Gregorian manuscripts—both diastematic and adiastematic—carefully by hand, and both were quite adept at this. On a trip to America in 1870, Dom Jausions died in Indiana at the age of 36. Anyone who wants to learn about the “early history” of Gregorian chant should obtain The Restoration of Gregorian Chant: Solesmes and the Vatican Edition, which was published in the 1960s by Dom Pierre Combe. A wonderful English translation was published in 2003 by Father Robert Skeris and Dr. Theodore Marier (who died before the project was finished). The very first serious book they created together was called “Directorium Chori.” Dom Pierre Combe wrote as follows: “The Directorium Chori of 1864 was the first book of the Gregorian restoration at Solesmes, and even, it can be said, of the Gregorian restoration anywhere.” Unfortunately, Dom Prosper Guéranger (d. 1875) delayed the distribution of the Directorium chori, and the entire edition, except for a few rare copies (only four), was destroyed in a fire at the Vatar Printing Company around 1866.

Here are two pages of this extremely rare book:

72449-DIRECTORIUM
72451-DIRECTORIUM-CHORI-B-KR

For a first attempt, it’s quite gorgeous—although Solesmes would continue to improve over the next 100 years. The most beautiful book Solesmes ever produced was probably the ANTIPHONALE OF 1949, which was reprinted circa 1961. In this “Directorium Chori” of 1864, the fonts are slightly too small. Also, they use the “æ” ligature, whereas in later publications they would always use “ae.”

The “shocking” feature of this publication was the fact that no Virga was placed above the accented syllables, as corrupt editions did. Consider this corrupt edition from 1858:

Some authors attribute the composition of the Directorium chori to “Dom Jausions, with the collaboration of Dom Pothier.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Abbot Joseph Pothier of Solesmes, Directorium Chori 1864, Dom Paul Jausions Last Updated: November 29, 2020

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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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Although the Mass contains much instruction for the faithful, it has nevertheless not seemed expedient to the fathers that it be celebrated everywhere in the vernacular. The holy synod commands pastors and everyone who has the care of souls to explain frequently during the celebration of the Masses, either themselves or through others, some of the things that are read in the Mass, and among other things to expound some mystery of this most Holy Sacrifice, especially on Sundays and feastdays.”

— ‘Council of Trent, XII:8 (1562)’

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