For a reason completely unknown to me, certain editors sometimes elongate a punctum when it is isolated. I hesitate to call this an "isolated punctum" because Mocquereau uses that term for something else (which pertains to his particular theories on rhythm). Therefore, a punctum isolated from surrounding neumes will be called in this essay a "lone punctum."

Most of the time, editors do not elongate a lone punctum. For example, no editor elongates this lone punctum:


Vaticana : 1908 Vatican Press Edition, page 195

However, there are certain neumatic phrases which occur in many chants, and for whatever reason some authors elongate them. Two such phrases occur in mode VIII Tracts, as well as the Laudate Dominum Psalm on Holy Saturday 1.3.

1v

2v

PAN 14n shows 1v as treated by various editors:

PANORAMA 14n

All the editions mark a hold on the blue arrow. All the editions also mark some kind of hold on the green arrow.

We see that Solesmes marks a hold on the orange arrow. The Schwann Graduale is very interesting on this point. It also marks a hold here (for what reason I cannot imagine).

Oddly, the Schwann does not leave enough space after the two virga's (before the orange arrow). This would not affect the singing (since there is not a mora vocis on what is already a long note). However, it is strange to find the Schwann Graduale deviating so much.

PAN 14P shows 2v as treated by various editors:

PANORAMA 14P

Mocquereau, Max Springer, and the Schwann editors all favor a mora on the lone punctum. Again, this is absolutely inexplicable. Pothier never intended a mora there: we can see this by the 1883 and 1895 versions.

Dr. Peter Wagner forgot a barline.

Most of the organ accompaniments to these phrases (especially in the A.Noh) change chords on the lone puntum. In the case of the A.Noh, they do that to leave the option of holding that note (i.e. their edition is based on the Vaticana but has the "requisite flexibility" to work for the various schools). However, the second A.Noh version in PAN 14P shows that they do not always do that.

The final example in PAN 14P shows the problem with the Solesmes editions. Since Mocquereau often deliberatly changes the rhythm of the official edition (yet cannot alter the spacing) he has to make his signs fit, and it is very awkward sometimes. Not only that, but Mocquereau's editions have historically employed very small fonts (going back all the way to the nineteenth century). The last example shows how difficult it can be (sometimes) to read these small editions.

Incidentally, many of the mode VII Tracts we have been considering have a certain neumatic construction which Solesmes reproduces incorrectly. That is to say, Solesmes normally reproduces the note spacing of the Vaticana with absolute precision. However, this time they goofed up (and I must say, visually their version looks better). They left so much space that a mora vocis is implied:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOOTNOTES

1.3

The main group occurs of these Tracts comes on Holy Saturday. These are Tracts like Sicut Cervus, Cantemus Domino, and Vinea facta est. However, there are other Tracts (less well known) that have the same phrases. Two examples of these would be Surge Domine in requiem tuam (from Missa pro eligendo Summo Pontifice) and Ecce sic benedicetur (from the Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa). Some writers, like Apel , do not consider these Tracts worthy of attention, because they are probably modern compositions:

Thus we arrive at a group of thirty one Tracts that can be considered as authentic. The number of Tracts found in modern books is, however, considerably larger, there being forty-seven in the Liber Usualis and eighty-seven in the Graduale Romanum. They are all for feasts of Saints which may fall in the period of Lent (e.g., Spera in Domino for St. John Bosco, on January 31) or for Votive Masses if celebrated during this period (e.g., Benedicite Dominum for the Votive Mass of the Holy Angels). In the absence of a critical and musicological edition of Gregorian chant it is impossible (at least for this writer) to say which of these Tracts are taken from medieval sources and which are modern compositions that originated at Solesmes [Apel should have added "or St. Wandrille"]. At any rate, the medieval repertory is large enough to provide a solid basis for our investigations. (A.Apel page 314)

The examples above often have been taken from various sources (since the same standard phrase is used over and over again by the different Tracts). However, for those who wish to check up, here is some information on some of the harder ones to find (since these votive Masses are not always indexed well):

In the 1961 Solesmes Graduale:

Surge Domine in requiem tuam is page 116** and page [119] (from Commune plurium Confessorum Pontificum)
Ecce sic benedicetur is page [123] (from Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa)

In the 1953 Schwann Graduale:

Ecce sic benedicetur is page [138] (from Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa)
Surge Domine in requiem tuam is page [134] (from Missa pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice)

In the 1912 Mathias Graduale in modern notation:

Surge Domine in requiem tuam is page [133] (from Missa pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice)
Ecce sic benedicetur is page [164] (from Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa)

In the Mocquereau 1903 Liber Usualis:

Ecce sic benedicetur is page 1071 (from Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa)
This book does not contain the Missa pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice

In the A.Noh:

Surge Domine in requiem tuam is page 193 (from Missa pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice)
Ecce sic benedicetur is page 230 (from Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa)

In Pothier's 1883 Liber Gradualis:

Ecce sic benedicetur is page [139] (from Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa)
Surge Domine in requiem tuam is page [117] (from Missa pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice)

In Pothier's 1895 Graduale:

Ecce sic benedicetur is page [127] (from Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa)
Surge Domine in requiem tuam is page [106] (from Missa pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice)

In the 1908 Vatican Press Graduale:

Ecce sic benedicetur is page [112] (from Missa votiva pro Sponso et Sponsa)
Surge Domine in requiem tuam is page [93] (from Missa pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice)