• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

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.”

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
    • Jeff’s Mom Joins Fundraiser
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Feasts Website
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
Views from the Choir Loft

Gregorian Chant • “Its True & Authentic Rhythm”

Jeff Ostrowski · April 1, 2022

HE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS for this year’s Sacred Music Symposium has not yet been released. It’s still being “adjusted” based upon the participants’ desires. This year, I’m considering giving a talk about the rhythm of plainsong. If I decide to give such a talk, the following questions will be addressed: (1) Can we know with certainty that our current plainsong performances correspond—generally speaking—to the way plainsong has always been sung? (2) Is it verifiably true that singing from adiastematic notation is “better” than diastematic notation? (3) What can we know with certainty about adiastematic rhythm? (4) Does following the official rhythm of the Church lead to the most beautiful performance of plainsong? (5) When it comes to plainsong rhythm, should we seek advice from those who have never stood in front of a choir in real life? (6) With regard to plainsong, should we seek advice from “scholars” whose recordings don’t sound beautiful?

Embracing The Official Rhythm: For more than two decades, I have been studying ancient manuscripts. Over the last two years I have examined the ancient MSS with greater attention than ever before (on account of a project I was involved with). As a result, I have decided to abandon the rhythmic markings of Dom Mocquereau—which often distort the melody—even though I have sung from these markings since the 1990s. My decision is based partially upon study of the ancient MSS, but it’s also based upon directing choirs for a long time. I have decided to embrace the official rhythm of plainsong: viz. “pure” Editio Vaticana. Technically, this is the only system allowed by the Church documents. Any doubt about this was swept away by the “Martinelli Letter” (02/18/1910). Abbat Pothier’s “De Caetero” letter (1906) also makes this clear. (It will be remembered that Abbat Pothier was chosen by Pope Pius X to create the Editio Vaticana.) Five decades later, a document by Pope Pius XII, De musica sacra et sacra liturgia (1958), in paragraph §59b stubbornly upheld the earlier decrees with regard to editions which modify 1 the official rhythm of the Editio Vaticana. We are starting each week with the Introit, and here’s how the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores look:

*  PDF Download • INTROIT (Passion Sunday)
—Introit with “pure” Vaticana rhythm (official edition).

Here’s how the very somber “Passion Sunday” Introit sounds when sung according to the official rhythm:

Melismatic Mora Vocis: In the Introit for this coming Sunday (Passion Sunday), there’s only one melismatic mora vocis (“MMV”) singers must be aware of. In the score I placed a little arrow above it. The official edition, printed by the Vatican Press, doesn’t provide any help; the singers must watch carefully for a “white note” or “blank space equal to a notehead”—and that’s where the MMV goes:

Numerous Editions: The Editio Vaticana was reproduced by many publishers exactly identical to the Vatican Press version. I’m talking about editions published by Pustet, Mechlin, Schwann, Weinmann, and so forth. But in 1954, the editors of the Schwann (Abbat Bomm, K.G. Fellerer, and Msgr. Overath) thought the singers needed a little help. Therefore, they placed a little line underneath, to help the singer. The blue arrow shows the “melismatic mora” and the red arrow shows an editorial mark by the Schwann editors reminding you to elongate the note:

Schwann’s modern notation version also indicates the MMV:

Flor Peeter’s Edition: The edition by Flor Peeters, which follows the “pure” Editio Vaticana, indicates the MMV as we would expect:

Max Springer’s Edition: The edition by Max Springer of Beuron Abbey, produced circa 1910, observes the MMV just as one would expect:

Saint Leo Edition: Father Franz Xaver Mathias (an Alsatian priest and organist) founded the SAINT LEO INSTITUTE FOR SACRED MUSIC in 1913. His edition follows the “pure” Editio Vaticana and indicates the MMV as we would expect. However, Father Mathias indicates some additional elongations, which I don’t understand—and I marked these with blue arrows. It’s possible he couldn’t get the 1883 edition out of his head (on this, see below).

The organ accompaniment by Father Mathias matches, just as one would expect:

Dom Mocquereau’s Edition: The 1903 Liber Usualis was the crowning achievement of Dom Mocquereau, who desperately wanted it to be adopted by Pope Pius X. However, because of Dom Mocquereau’s “intransigence,” the pope chose Abbat Pothier’s edition instead. For this, Mocquereau never forgave Pothier. In any event, the edition by Dom Mocquereau has an elogation there:

14th Century: A manuscript from approximately 1385AD does not indicate an MMV—but that doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise:

Precursor To The Vatican Edition: The 1883 edition by Pothier does not correspond to the 1908 Editio Vaticana. That means Abbat Pothier must have changed his mind in 1908:

For the record, it seems that Abbat Pothier changed his mind about a lot of things in 1908, as this chart shows:

*  PDF Download • COMPARISON CHART
—1876 (Hermesdorff); 1883 (Pothier); 1903 (Mocquereau); 1908 (Vaticana).

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   On 14 August 1905, the Vatican under Pope Pius X declared: “The Sacred Congregation of Rites declares and decrees that this same edition [Abbot Pothier’s Editio Vaticana] be considered by all as typical, in such wise that henceforth the Gregorian melodies contained in future editions of these books be perfectly conformed, without any addition, subtraction, or change whatsoever [nihil prorsus addito, dempto vel mutato] to the aforesaid typical edition, even in the case of extracts made from these books.”

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Abbat Urbanus Johann Bomm, Dom Josef Pothier, Dom Mocquereau, Editio Vaticana, Karl Gustav Fellerer, melismatic morae vocis, Monsignor Johannes Overath Last Updated: April 4, 2022

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

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).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 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 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

It is frightful even to think there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day.

— Pope Francis (13 January 2014)

Recent Posts

  • “Three Reasons To Avoid Bad Hymns” • Daniel B. Marshall
  • “Puzzling Comment” • By A Respected FSSP Priest
  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
  • “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
  • “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.