— PLEASE NOTE —

When you see "C" attached to a footnote number (e.g. C1.3 or C7.4) that means that the footnote consists of nothing more than a book citation. When the "C" is lacking, the note will have comments.

There is no uniformity with regard to punctuation of many names of Gregorian chant terms. This is due in large part to the fact that many of these terms are foreign, and hence should be italicized. However, once they enter common usage in the English language, they should no longer be italicized, but this transition is often difficult to ascertain. Besides, if all the words in a document are italicized, punctuation no longer serves its primary end: clarification!

For example, the word "Gradual" (capitalized and not in italics) can refer to:

(1) A type of chant sung before the Alleluia Verse

(2) The chants sung between the Epistle and Gospel of the "Tridentine" Catholic liturgy. The term can therefore encompass any of the folowing: Gradual, Tract, Alleluia, Greater Alleluia, or Sequence. (Fortescue pg 266 "We usually speak")

(3) A book containing the chants sung at Mass. This can include (and often does include) the Propers, Ordinary (Kyriale), tones for the orations and readings at Mass (Cantus Missae), and other miscellaneous items.

In light of these problems, the following terms will be uniformly employed in my essays (but will not affect direct quotations from other sources):

(1) Any type of chant (Gradual, Communion, Kyrie, etc.) will be capitalized but not italicized.

"The Offertory Perfice gressus will be treated along with the other Offertories."

(2) The term Graduale will refer to any book which has as its primary material the Mass Propers. The terms Kyriale and Antiphonale will also be employed in the same way.

"The Schwann Graduale was edited by such giants as Fellerer, Bomm, and Overath."

"Many Graduale's include the Kyriale, as well as the Officium Defunctorum and Toni Communes Missae."

(3) The terms Editio Vaticana and Vaticana are synonymous (as are the terms morae vocis and morae). The term "Vatican edition" will be avoided, lest it be confused with the "Vatican edition" (Editio Vaticana) published by the the Vatican Press (Typis Vaticanis or Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis). Needless to say, the publisher's name is not usually italicized (Pustet, H. Dessain, Schwann, Solesmes, etc.), but I am here considering the term Editio Vaticana to be foreign. Besides, the Editio Vaticana is unlike most editions, since it was never printed by a publisher, but rather was freely printed from the start by all publishers.

"The 1908 Pustet Graduale, based on the Editio Vaticana, has no editorial rhythmic signs of any kind. Hence, it is identical to the 1951 H. Dessain and 1908 Vatican Press Graduale's, and these editions are sometimes called "pure" versions of the the Vaticana."

Furthermore, the term Vaticana encompasses every piece of Gregorian chant published by the Vatican Commission headed by Pothier (i.e. those official books of chant published between 1905 and 1913 and imposed upon the Catholic church by ecclesiastical law).

"The Solesmes editions of the Kyriale, although nominally based on the Vaticana, often contradict the Vaticana rhythmic indications. For example, examine the final "kyrie" of Kyrie Cunctipotens Genitor Deus."

(4) The term "Vatican Preface" refers to the Preface found at the beginning of the Vaticana Graduale.

"The Vatican Preface, based Pothier's Preface to his Liber Gradualis, appeared for the first time in 1908, when the Vaticana Graduale was published. However, its principles must be applied the entire Vaticana, even items published earlier (e.g. the Kyriale)."

(5) "Reims-Cambrai," "Rheims and Cambria," and "Rheims-Cambrai" : : "Medicaea," "Editionis Mediceae" (genitive in Latin) and " Medicea" are synonomous. In contrast to "scholarly writing" where consistancy is everything, these essays employ both spellings interchangeably. In this way, people searching the internet can spell them either way and still reach this page.

"The Rheims-Cambrai is a great improvement on the Medicaea. However, the Medicea was not the basis for the Reims-Cambrai. Furthermore, please don't forget that the printing of the Graduale ad instar editionis Mediceae is now ended, according to the bishops of Rheims and Cambria."

In the bibliography, the way that I indicate a book will often be given in addition to the other information. For example:

For those unaware, the bibliography will be much more useful if you use the Search Command on your browser. Just press CONTROL + F (Macintosh users: APPLE + F) and you can immediately locate any word or name.

Cardinal Merry Del Val, Secretary of State
Rome, June 24, 1905