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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.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

What Exactly Is Dr. Peter Wagner Talking About?

Jeff Ostrowski · January 6, 2023

URING the 1950s, Monsignor Francis P. Schmitt was editor of the CAECILIA MAGAZINE. He liked to refer to Dr. Peter Josef Wagner as “The sage of Fribourg.” Following the style of journals in those days, Monsignor Schmitt made tons of oblique references—as well as factual errors—so it’s not always easy to verify (or to “control,” as Father Father Fortescue would say) his various assertions. Something Schmitt often complained about was how the monastery of Solesmes denied entry to Dr. Peter Wagner, who had wished to enter their PALEO. The implication was that anyone who was not “on their team” was denied entry as punishment. [Some say that’s still the case, but I can neither confirm nor deny the veracity of that accusation.] To give one example, in his 1977 book (Church Music Transgressed), Monsignor Schmitt says: “The sage of Fribourg had not been allowed to peruse the manuscripts there until years after his studies had been finished, when Dom Gajard welcomed him.”

In a famous article published in 1907, the “sage of Fribourg” had this to say:

It is a fine thing to have in one’s work-room many valuable photographic reproductions of chant manuscripts, and I envy those who are in this fortunate situation. The Fathers of Solesmes possess, we are told, about four-hundred such photographs of manuscripts. For part of these treasures, they are indebted to the favor of the Holy See, whose letter of recommendation opened to them libraries which they would otherwise never have entered. So much the more could we expect that they would selflessly place their archival material at the disposal of the Holy Father. The Catholic world would have considered this as a quite ordinary gesture lending powerful support to the Papal project. Such is not the case. A promise was made, to be sure, by a highly placed person to one in a still higher position, but later the promise was not kept. Rather, weapons were forged against Papal intervention. Since such a procedure passes sentence on itself, I shall go no further into it.

The answer is provided by Dom Pierre Combe:

Dom Mocquereau had long wanted to create at Solesmes a vast collection of Gregorian chant manuscripts, through photography. However, these manuscripts had to be sought out in the public or capitular libraries, whose conservators were often hardly supportive of—if not outright hostile to—the reproduction of their treasures. Dom Mocquereau was already familiar with the primary collections in France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands, where he had traveled looking for manuscripts, and he was very eager to study the libraries of England, Austro-Hungary, and Spain. The editing of the Vatican Edition, for which he was responsible, was an opportunity for him to fulfill his dream of visiting these countries.

During his stay in Rome, Dom Mocquereau had insisted that he be given every possible assistance in this matter, and he finally obtained a letter from the Cardinal Secretary of State, dated 8 August 1904, to the conservators of the libraries, recommending the delegates of the Abbot of Solesmes who were assigned to photograph the manuscripts.

Armed with the recommendation from Cardinal Merry del Val and, soon, from the Minister of Public Instruction of the Kingdom of Italy, two monks set off on 17 August 1904, and did not return to Appuldurcombe until December 14. They were Dom Paul Blanchon-Lasserve and Dom Amand Menager, who explored the major libraries of Italy. A new photographic technique (the use of an erecting prism) enabled them to acquire a few hundred definitive proofs in just a few hours. The photographs were taken directly on paper, without the intermediary of a plate or film. Once exposed, the sensitive paper was packaged on site to protect it from light (in the dark room Dom Blanchon mentions in his letter of June 21), and immediately sent to Appuldurcombe. There, the photographs were simply developed and fixed. At that point, they had a negative reproduction of the manuscripts, which could be used immediately to transcribe the melodies onto the comparative tables.

* This article includes excerpts from: HISTOIRE DE LA RESTAURATION DU CHANT GRÉGORIEN D’APRES DES DOCUMENTS INEDITES: SOLESMES ET L’EDITION VATICANE published in 1969 by Dom Pierre Combe of Solesmes Abbey. The Catholic University Press published an English edition in 2003, translated by Dr. Theodore Marier and finished by a former student of his (since Dr. Marier had died before the work could be completed). Someone very close to Dr. Marier told me that he found the work of translation tedious, and would exclaim: “Well, I guess I’d better go subtract a few years off Purgatory by translating Combe!” The 2003 version is called: “The Restoration of Gregorian Chant: Solesmes and the Vatican Edition.” Broadly speaking, the 1969 book by Dom Combe is a collection of journal articles. Many of the Italian sections in the 2003 version were translated by Monsignor Robert Skeris.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Caecilia Magazine, commissionis pontificiae gregorianae membrum, Dr Peter Wagner Gregorian, Monsignor Francis P Schmitt, Rafael Merry del Val, Raphael Cardinal Merry Del Val, Solesmes Abbey Last Updated: May 19, 2025

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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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President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 29th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 19 October 2025, which is the 29th 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 sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Liturgical Round (“Canon”) in C-Major
    Those who direct children’s choirs are always on the lookout for repertoire that’s dignified, inspired, and pleasing—yet still within reach of young choristers. Such directors will want to investigate this haunting liturgical round (PDF download) which has been married to the KYRIE from Mass VI (EDITIO VATICANA). I have provided an accompaniment, but it’s only for use during rehearsal; i.e. when teaching this round to your choristers. I also provided an organ accompaniment for the KYRIE—which some know by its trope (Kyrie Rex Genitor)—so that your congregation can take part when this round is used as a choral extension during Mass.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR 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 Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And 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
    “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

Random Quote

The People’s Hymnal suffers from a too literal and awkward translation. And even in the lovely Slovak “Memorare” in The Saint Gregory Hymnal we are still asked to sing “that anyone who sought thee, or made to thee his moan.” Why not “groan” or “bone” or even “phone?” The only thing necessary, it seems, is that it rhyme with “known.”

— Mons. Francis P. Schmitt (1958)

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