EING INVOLVED in the world of Gregorian Chant scholarship can be a bit frustrating. I say this because basic ideas are repeated over and over, yet certain parties (who should know better) pretend not to understand. For instance, it’s important to realize why the EDITIO VATICANA was created. It is a CENTO. In other words, it does not intend to reproduce a certain manuscript written in a certain century by a certain monastery. Again, it’s a CENTO, which took into consideration the entire tradition of authentic plainsong—not just a handful of manuscripts from a particular monastery. That’s why it’s nonsensical to ‘interpret’ the EDITIO VATICANA by placing adiastematic neumes from a particular manuscript above its notes, in the same way it would be nonsensical and reprehensible to ‘interpret’ a piece by Brahms using pedal markings from a composition by Chopin.
Variants • Once we understand why the EDITIO VATICANA was created, we likewise understand there will always be variants. The following is a gorgeous 14th-century variant whose opening hints at tone painting—lifting one’s soul to God—in a way slightly obscured by the EDITIO VATICANA:
First Letter of the Alphabet • The ‘original’ liturgical year began with Christmas, which is only natural: a birth. But as the centuries rolled along, it was felt that a time of preparation was needed leading up to Christmas. Apparently, that’s how we got ADVENT—although that season still incorporates many of the “end of the book” themes. Nowadays we consider ADVENT the beginning of the liturgical year.
Is it really just a coincidence that—now that ADVENT is considered the beginning of the liturgical year—the very first Introit comes from an alphabetical psalm (Psalm 24: “Ad te, Dómine, levávi ánimam meam”) and starts with the letter A? It’s difficult to believe this was a coincidence.
Regarding Source • Something else must be repeated again and again (because it’s quite important): viz. just because a manuscript currently resides in a particular library, that doesn’t necessarily tell us anything about when or where that manuscript was created. Nor does it necessarily tell us something about who’s responsible for its creation. In other words, the fact that a manuscript is found inside a particularly library in the year 2026 doesn’t necessarily reveal its provenance. Over the last 1,500 years, entire civilizations have risen and fallen. Manuscripts get destroyed, manuscripts get damaged, and manuscripts are often moved from place to place over the centuries.
Whose Ox Is Being Gored • This reality is something very basic; even a child in high school will have no difficulty grasping it. Yet some who self-identify as Gregorian Chant “scholars” appear ignorant of it. Over the past 15 years, I’ve come to believe some feign ignorance in this arena because it depends “whose ox is gored.” In other words, if acknowledging this basic reality causes someone’s ‘pet’ theory to disintegrate, such a one will be quite unwilling to do so.
When You Wish Upon a Star • The origins of many Gregorian Chant manuscripts remain shrouded in mystery. Homo modernus believes that the passage of time reveals all truth—but that’s a lie. As a matter of fact, the passage of time can sometimes leave us with less (!) knowledge vis-à-vis the provenance of ancient MSS. That’s because evidence may emerge which calls into question certain assumptions which had hitherto been accepted as ‘established’ or ‘likely’ or ‘within the realm of possibility’. In spite of the precept of homo modernus, sensible people realize that decades from now we may know nothing more vis-à-vis the provenance of certain ancient MSS.
