ory's role as “father of the chant,” carries muck more weight in connection ‘with the textual aspect of the Mass. It proceeds from the fact that almost Il the texts of the Mass chants are taken from the earliest translation of the Bible, the ale of the second and third centuries [se List of Data, p. 90, no. 8} not from the Vulgate of ¢. 400 (ee ibid, no. gr). The later, imnde by St. Jerome and supported by Pope Damasus, enjoyed uncontested futhority in Rome and was universally used in all the churches about Goo, ‘as we know from the testimony of Isidore of Seville [ee ibid, no. 4). His therefore practically out of the question that Mass items with an Fala text could have been introduced after 6o0* 'A basic trait of the Gregorian Mass repertory is its stability, at least in the Temporale. Ic is a most interening and rewarding experience to ex: nine sources dating from widely diferent periods, a purely textual Grad- tua ofthe eighth or ninth cencury, a musical source ofthe twelfth, or the presentday books, and to find them in full agreement as to the Mass ormularies of the various feasts, W. H. Frere has succinctly summed up the matter by saying that "haity means antiquity,"6 and ths statement is fully bome out by a comparative study of the oldest extant Mass formu aries, eontained and conveniently arranged inthe Sextuplex publication? ‘Actually, these Mass formulaies show a few eases of variability but these ‘confirm rather than contradict Freve’s statement, since nearly all of them tccur in feasts which, although forming a part of the Gregorian Temporale, fre nevertheless of “lesser antiquity.” In fact, these cases are of particular Interest since they permit us to set apart certain feasts that represent addi tions toa stil older nucleus, additions thae must have been made shortly before Gregory or, more likely, by him. Particularly revealing in this respeet are the Graduals ofthe four Ember Saturdays. Each of these days had four Gradua [ste p, 2g], but the Satur day in Ember Week of Advent isthe only one for which they are given ‘Am example i the Gradual fom the Ft Sanday of Advent which has the text Univers gate expecont, nom enfundentur Fat on, Domine, mots foe mb: et Semis ts eae me {on} Te Vulgate ete found i Pn. and 178: Eleni tiers qu tent tenon cnfondentr Vs tar Domine demonsia mihi: el emios ar edoe me, Some ofthe texte o the Mat cant, pareulary how borrowed fom the Pals ae taken, atom the Fl, ut frm frome’ Gre taation (oe i ‘3 which i very sar tothe Tal and which i known a8 Perum romana idan twas motte nocd ato dhe Reman Uargy by Pope Damas. The olgate i Jere second tration, also Known a Psalter gagnnm, beste ie was fs adopted a Gal. Jromes hid tatataton, made det rom the Hebre test apd fo ig we CEC. Marbach, Corin Sipura 92). 3% Ths ot wable Bok the sons Gor all the arpa chants of the Hy 31 Indiatt, sce the Table par Genres pp 29H ‘The Development after 600 63 identically in all the manuseripes# The other three Saturdays often carry only general indications such as “Resp. Grad. quatuor quale volueris die ad hune diem pertinent” (sy [ie sing] whichever four Graduals you ‘wish chat pertain to this day); ic is therefore not to be wondered at that this early ad libitum practice led to a certain amount of disagreement when, ata later time, specific Graduals were selected. Also of interest is the fact that these selections were limited toa micleus of ive or six graduals and that, in the eleventh or twelfth century, those for the Ember Saturday of Pentecost were replaced by Alleluias. The following table shows the Graduals given in the Mss Rheinau, Senlis [see Sextuplex nos. 46, 133, 29; the other sources ether omit the feast or have no specific indication of Graduals}, St. Gall 359, and St Gall 3397 Rhcnas Sena SL. Gall 39S. Galls39 Liber unas emt Mires mii Prope Protcor — Digitar Pople so mihi Protector Drgatar—Comvertere Protector Ocal ainium Diigatur Props Propiiar — Conmetre Salou fc Salm foc Salou fc Dieter Concert Fan woMn ge ep til Prope All Spies Craduatio Protetor AIL Spires act ata cope Sept noMan given Rope. ill Repl Propiiar —— Propii Proptins Cradualis™ Protector Protector (oiers nt Dirgsor Converter ‘ndiestd) Salam jac Dirgatur (otter enue AIL ite spirit; All Sprit domini AM Prats AM Pent once All Rene All Sant spirit, (0) later ety: Ge Proptars Ge. Protectrs Gr irgtr; Gr. Slo fs Almost complete fixity exist inthe Introis, Offertries, and Commun: fons. A special case of great interest is that of the Communions for the Weekdays of Lent, from Ash Wednestay to Palm Sunday. We have seen that the series of feasts during this perio of ive and a half weeks originally did not include any Thursday nor the Saturdays after Ash Wednesday and before Palm Sunday. I we disregard these later additions (as well 38 the Sundays which stand outside the series), and consider the Communions {The Gradua of Monta and Rina have only tie, the former owing Bxete Domine, he later, Domne Deus tutus. Se Setups, 7 ao he explanatory "The contents ofS. Gall 39 ate vena the end of Wagner