• 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

“Momentous Release!” • Freakishly Rare Gradual & Vesperal Published by Pothier’s Protégé (1,638 pages!)

Jeff Ostrowski · August 30, 2023

F SOMEBODY asked you to teach them GREGORIAN CHANT, could you? Obviously, you wouldn’t want to “get into the weeds” with technical info. I still remember a telephone call with someone who considers himself a plainsong expert and taught for decades at a sacred music institute. He bellowed into the phone: “There’s no such thing as Gregorian Chant. There’s only cantillation!” (I didn’t bother correcting him.) Clearly, one should not overwhelm students with burdensome jargon. On the other hand, a decision must be made about methodology. For instance, if you teach Ave Regína Cælórum according to the method of François Gevaert, head of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, your student would probably demand a full refund!

Official Edition? • In 1905, the Catholic Church created an official edition of Cantus Gregorianus called the EDITIO VATICANA. It was created by order of the MOTU PROPRIO “Col Nostro” (25 April 1904) issued by Pope Saint Pius X. After Vatican II, when liturgical changes were made, the official edition wasn’t altered, even though a few pieces were added. Feel free to download a PDF copy of the Ordo Cantus Missæ (1970) and examine it for yourself. You will see the user is referred to the EDITIO VATICANA 99% of the time. Even when new chants were created, they were based upon the version found in the EDITIO VATICANA.

The Way It Was Intended • If somebody asked me for lessons in Gregorian Chant, I would teach them using the official edition. Moreover, I would sing the official edition the way it was intended to be sung by its creators. A few years before Pope Saint Pius X died, an official letter was issued by Sebastiano Cardinal Martinelli (d. 1918), PREFECT for the Congregation of Sacred Rites. This letter explicitly says Pope Pius X wanted 1 the official edition to be sung the way its creators intended.

Our Biggest Release Ever! • For decades, Corpus Christi Watershed has been making extremely rare books available to the world for free. Several of these are so important, they have changed the course of modern scholarship. Examples would be the early editions of Abbat Pothier, the GRADUALE of Father Hermesdorff, the 5-line collections by Father Karl Weinmann, Dom Mocquereau’s 1903 LIBER USUALIS, the Nova órgani harmónia by the LEMMENSINSTITUUT, and many others. A few months ago, through the generosity of Dr. Charles Weaver, I was made aware of two extremely rare books I never knew existed.

Today … our most momentous release:

*  High-Resolution Viewer • 1932 GRADUEL DOMINICAL (856 pages)
—Graduel Dominical Complet en notation grégorienne et clef de sol (Dom Lucien David, 1932).
—We thank Matthew Frederes for the gorgeous viewing device.
*  PDF Download • 1932 GRADUEL DOMINICAL (856 pages)
—Massively large PDF file: 417.7MB.

*  High-Resolution Viewer • 1932 VESPÉRAL DOMINICAL (782 pages)
—Vespéral Dominical en notation grégorienne et clef de sol (Dom Lucien David, 1932).
—We thank Matthew Frederes for the gorgeous viewing device.
*  PDF Download • 1932 VESPÉRAL DOMINICAL (782 pages)
—Massively large PDF file: 362.4MB.

Who Created These Editions? • These books reproduce the EDITIO VATICANA, but provide subtle markings to help singers discern the moræ vocis. They were created by DOM LUCIEN DAVID, a monk of Saint-Wandrille Abbey. At one time, Dom Lucien served as Abbat Pothier’s private secretary, as you can see by this important letter which points out that Dom Mocquereau’s method should not be confused with the Solesmes method. Dom Lucien wrote a famous biography of Abbat Pothier. In 1919, Dom Lucien also published his Méthode pratique de chant grégorien selon les principes et la notation de l’édition Vaticane. Dom Lucien was a voting member of the VATICAN COMMISSION ON GREGORIAN CHANT established by Pope Saint Pius X.

Are They Significant? Why? • For decades, I have used this blog to explore the discrepancies when it comes to the official rhythm. Specifically, I’ve shown readers many instances where editors who claim to embrace the official rhythm seem to (sometimes) contradict it. I’m talking about editors such as Professor Amédée Gastoué, Dr. Peter Wagner, Father Franz Mathias, Maxwell Springer, Marcel Dupré, Joseph Gogniat, the Lemmensinstituut, Monsignor Franz Nekes, and so forth. I have never been able to figure out why such discrepancies exist. Perhaps some of them are due to sloppiness. Perhaps some of them are issues of “style.” Perhaps some betray a desire on the part of the editor to “corner a market” by creating a proprietary version. Since Abbat Joseph Pothier served as president of the VATICAN COMMISSION ON GREGORIAN CHANT, these editions by his private secretary and biographer (Dom Lucien David) are of great significance.

Initial Impressions • I will be studying these books for the rest of my life. My “initial impression” of them is somewhat complicated. Generally speaking, they seem to be faithful to the official rhythm. At the same time, several discrepancies seem to be (perhaps?) a reaction to Dom Mocquereau’s editions, which were pervasive and popular by the year 1932. I will close this article by giving some examples—but I will have much more to say about these books in the coming years. [For the record, it will be noticed that the Propria Missae for the feast of Christ the King were inserted, since that feast was created in 1925. When somebody produces collections like this—which are thousands of pages in length—changes are very difficult and frustrating.]

Treble Clef + Five Lines! •  the entire collection (1,638 pages) is printed on five lines (!) with a treble clef. Astoundingly, Dom Lucien has carefully placed a French translation underneath the Latin text. Isn’t that marvelous?

Marking Morae • Dom Lucien placed a little “U shape” mark to help clarify instances of the melismatic mora vocis (i.e. where the blank space is equal to the width of an individual note-head). In the following example, we see one resting upon what I have often called the “Mystery Virga.” Furthermore, we see an extended mark whenever both notes before the quilisma are to be lengthened:

“Trochee Trouble” • A topic we have discussed frequently on this blog is Trochee Trouble. Are trochees to be doubled, as the Germans do? Are are trochees not to be doubled, as the French do? Or, is there a “middle way”—as I attempted to demonstrate using video examples in a recent article. We can see that Dom Lucien—although seeming to favor the French approach—does attempt to provide “TTG” (Trochee Trouble Guidance) in certain instances:

Stacked Up Pauses • Without question, the most difficult parts to interpret in the EDITIO VATICANA occur when multiple “blank spaces” are stacked one upon the other. Having examined such instances for more than twenty years, I’ve come to believe some of those blank spaces should not have been included—but were left in either due to sloppiness or out of aesthetic concerns (in terms of the way the neums look on paper). Dom Lucien seems to agree:

Arbitrary Instances • Sometimes, Dom Lucien seems to contradict the official rhythm inexplicably. While I don’t consider such instances to be “of earth shattering significance,” I do take note of them. An example would be where he indicates an elongation on the word “súnt” from SANCTUS IV:

Non-Mocquereau • I mentioned earlier that often Dom Lucien seems “cognizant of” or “deferential towards” some of Dom Mocquereau’s elongations. However, in other instances that is not the case. Here is one such instance, from KYRIE IV:

Copy Cat? • On the other hand, sometimes it *seems* as though Dom Lucien adopts illicit elongations from the editions by Dom Mocquereau. Consider what he did with “Allelúja: Dóminus Dixit Ad Me” from Christmas. Or, consider the following example from GLORIA IV:

Dr. Charles Weaver • Dr. Weaver told me that he considers Dom Lucien’s way of indicating the morae vocis to be “quite an elegant solution.” For myself, I’m not sure about that. Sometimes, his indications of the morae strike me as confusing (see below). In the PREFACE, Dom Lucien explains the mora vocis markings as follows:

Très léger point d’orgue (petite subdivision dans les vocalises) équivalant à peu près au quart de barre. Le plus long indique le ralentissement d’un groupe de deux notes, le plus court d’une seule note.

Translated into English: “A very light fermata (a small subdivision among the vocalisations) more or less equal to the quarter-bar. The longer one indicates the slowing of a group of two notes, the shorter of only one note.”

Standing Alone! • Certain instances of the melismatic mora vocis are ignored by everyone. I have always wondered why! An example would be the OFFERTORY for the Requiem Mass. A certain melismatic mora vocis is ignored by everyone—but we see that Dom Lucien does not ignore it:

The Mind Of Pius X • What are we to make of the rhythmic symbols, added by Dom Mocquereau? When we observe them side-by-side against the official rhythm the results are so astounding I can’t believe I sang from them for 20+ years. In terms of what POPE SAINT PIUS X thought about them, nothing could be more clear-cut and explicit than the the famous Martinelli Letter (18 February 1910) by Sebastiano Cardinal Martinelli (d. 1918), who served as PREFECT for the Congregation of Sacred Rites under Pius X. Cardinal Martinelli’s letter needs no explanation; it speaks for itself. Furthermore, the president of the Vatican Commission on Gregorian Chant, appointed by POPE SAINT PIUS X, wrote in January of 1906:

These rhythmic signs, easily confused with the traditional notes … bring about a grave alteration of the melody. Moreover, these supplementary signs have nothing traditional about them, nor have they any exact relation with the well known Romanian signs of the Saint Gall manuscripts of which they profess to be a reproduction. Even were these signs (of Saint Gall) faithfully represented, inasmuch as they belonged to a particular school, they would have no right to impose their special ideas on the universal practice in a typical and official edition.

Conclusion • My colleague, Corrinne May, pointed out to me (correctly) that I usually do a poor job of “summing up” my articles. Therefore, let me attempt to conclude satisfactorily. First of all, Dom André Mocquereau entered the Abbey of Solesmes on 22 July 1875. [Abbat Prosper Guéranger had died on 30 January 1875.] By that time, Dom Pothier’s LIBER GRADUALIS, which Pope Saint Pius X said should serve as the basis for the EDITIO VATICANA, had already been finished for 6 years, since it was completed in 1868—although it wasn’t published until 1883. Except for a period of six years (1895-1901), the monks of Solesmes were exiled from their monastery from 1880-1922 due to the French government’s anti-clerical laws. From 1880-1895, the monks were exiled “at the very doors of the Abbey” (in the words of Dom Combe). In other words, the Solesmes monks were not allowed to enter their Abbey, so they lived in the town (!) of Solesmes. The exiled monks chanted the Divine Office either in the nearby convent of Sainte-Cécile (where Dom Mocquereau’s sister, a cloistered nun, served as organist) or in the parish church. From 1901-1922, the Solesmes monks were exiled in England. Therefore, we should not be surprised to learn that anglophone countries tend to favor Mocquereau’s editions. Indeed, many English-speaking authors focus solely on Mocquereau’s edition, completely ignoring important editions which faithfully reproduce the EDITIO VATICANA, such as: Dessain (1,864 pages); Father Mathias (1,106 pages); Friedrich Pustet (916 pages); Schwann, Düsseldorf (1,129 pages); Father Weinmann (692 pages); Max Springer (870 pages); Lemmensinstituut (2,279 pages); and even the Vatican Polyglot Press (948 pages).

These volumes—all 1,638 pages!—by Dom Lucien David (Abbat Pothier’s protégé, biographer, and private secretary) faithfully reproduce the official edition and serve as a breathtaking testament to the power of the EDITIO VATICANA!

1 We should remember that Pope Pius X had been keenly interested in Gregorian Chant for decades, followed Dom Pothier’s work of restoration at Solesmes Abbey, and created a famous “votum” on sacred music in 1893 which can be read in Monsignor Romita’s 1961 book: La preformazione del motu proprio di S. Pio X sulla Musica sacra.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Abbat Joseph Pothier, Abbot Joseph Pothier of Solesmes, Dom Lucien David Saint Wandrille Abbey, French Anti-Clerical Law of Associations, La preformazione del motu proprio di S. Pio X sulla Musica sacra, melismatic morae vocis, Old Solesmes Method, Paroissien Dominical Complet, Sebastian Cardinal Martinelli, Solesmes Ictus, The Solesmes Method Last Updated: August 30, 2025

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

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR shamefully 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 Holy Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand while it’s sung … even though everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia. Furthermore, 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
    “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
    Kids’ Choir Sings Thomas Aquinas
    Last Sunday, a children’s choir I’m teaching sang with us for the very first time at Sunday Mass. Females from our main choir sang along with them. If you’re curious to hear how they sounded, you can listen to a ‘live’ recording. That’s an English version of TANTUM ERGO by Saint Thomas Aquinas. That haunting melody is called GAUFESTRE and was employed for this 2-Voice Arrangement of a special hymn for 9 November (“Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome”) which replaces a Sunday this year.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Reminder” — Month of September (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
    “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

“The banality and vulgarity of the [ICEL] translations which have ousted the sonorous Latin and little Greek are of a supermarket quality which is quite unacceptable.”

— Sir Alec Guinness (1985)

Recent Posts

  • “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
  • Involving Women in the Communion?
  • “Toward a More Sacred Style With Pastoral Charity” • Guest Article by Dr. Myrna Keough
  • “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Kids’ Choir Sings Thomas Aquinas

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.