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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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

Christmas • “Approached By A Famous Musicologist”

Jeff Ostrowski · December 30, 2023

ISCONCERTING. Dr. Katharine Ellis—professor of musicology at Cambridge University in England—uses the word “disconcerting” to describe the argument I’ve been putting forth in terms of Dom Mocquereau’s illicit befouling of the Church’s official edition of Gregorian Chant. The way I’ve described matters is: Dom Mocquereau takes into account the complete plainsong repertoire when it comes to pitches, but only a handful of manuscripts when it comes to rhythm. I have described this minuscule portion of manuscripts—for which he has a predilection—as “MOC’S FANTASTIC FOUR.” In other words, I’ve pointed out how Dom Mocquereau, looking over the entire collection of ancient Gregorian manuscripts, unabashedly declared almost every single one of them to be ‘garbage’ from the standpoint of rhythm (although he valued those same manuscripts highly vis-à-vis the pitches).

Snazzy Words • Describing this phenomenon, Dr. Katharine Ellis uses fancier words on page 112 of her book (The Politics of Plainchant in fin-de-siècle France, 2013). If you’re somebody who likes grandiloquence, you will prefer her description to mine. But the argument she’s putting forth is very similar to mine:

The scientific drive for statistical proof that characterizes Mocquereau’s work on pitch contour is replaced, in his work on rhythm and interpretation, by extrapolation from a minute body of comparative evidence and the making of creative leaps in its analysis. Dom Mocquereau provides no equivalent, for rhythm, of the huge body of raw data used in the Paléographie musicale to demonstrate Gregorian melodic unity via Justus ut palma. He cannot. Instead he does the opposite: he elaborates an aesthetically based theory of interpretation which he presents—distilled via carefully selected examples—as both general and normative.

I warned you that Dr. Ellis uses snazzier words than I do!

Numerous Reasons • Some have claimed that I embrace the official edition “because it comes from authority.” I suppose that’s one reason, but there are many! For instance, it just makes sense to sing an edition the way it was intended to be sung by those who created it. Moreover, I believe the illicit elongations by Dom Mocquereau destroy the melodic line (often fatally) and tend to make plainsong fussy and plodding. Furthermore, having examined the ancient manuscripts for more than twenty years, I haven’t been able to find any evidence supporting the rhythmic claims of Dom Mocquereau—or, for that matter, his disciple, Dom Eugène Cardine.1

Does It Matter? • Does any of this matter? Readers must decide for themselves. I invite you to consider the first antiphon for CHRISTMAS VESPERS:

*  PDF Download • COMPARISON CHART
—Dom Mocquereau Vs. the Official Edition.

Looking at that chart, is there anything more to be said?

Famous Musicologist • A famous plainchant scholar approached me after one of our Christmas Masses last week. (This person is a university professor I’ve been following since the 1990s.) Coming forward, he shook my hand and said: “I want to thank you for supporting the official edition.”

1 I remain open to being convinced, if any readers are willing to point out such evidence.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Dom Eugène Cardine, Dr Katharine Ellis of Cambridge, Gregorian Rhythm Wars Last Updated: December 30, 2023

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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

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —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

“Every experienced choirmaster’s work is founded on the following three axioms: (1) Few boys have a really good natural voice; (2) No boy is able to control his voice and produce good tone without training; (3) Most boys have a good ear, and considerable imitative capacity. It is on the last of these axioms that the choirmaster must begin his work.”

— Sir Richard Runciman Terry (1912)

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