COUSTANT
454
COUSTANT
riadis" in which diaphony is treated. Tliis he did in a
work on Hucbald, who lived from about 840 to 930, was
a monk of the monastery of Saint-Ainand, and wrote
the "Enchiriadis " as well as other works on music.
While pursuing his law studies in Paris, Cousse-
maker studied singing under Pellegrini and Payer and
harmony under Reicha. Even after entering upon
his career as a lawyer at Douai, he took a course in
counterpoint under Victor LefebvTe. His early ambi-
tion to become a composer, especially of church music,
did not produce permanent results, as most of his pro-
ductions in that field remain in manuscript. While
acting as judge at Bergues, Hazebrouck, Cambrai,
Dunkerque, and Lille successively, he piu'sued studies
and made researches which resulted in works of the
highest historical importance and of permanent value.
His writings have had an important part in the revival
of true church music that began some sLxty years ago,
and in the restoration, which has not yet reached its
culmination, of the chant. The pioneer natiu-e of
Cousseraaker's labours in many fields explains and
condones to some extent the fact that he was not
always correct in his deductions. Thus his assertion
(Histoire de I'harmonie, c. ii, pp. 158-159) that the
neums "have their origin in the accents of the Latin
language", an assumption which became the basis for
the so-called oratorical rhythm in plain chant, was dis-
proved long ago by the mensuralist school of chant
rhythm and, more recently, by the Rev. J. Thibaut in
his work " Origine byzantine de la notation neu-
matique de I'^glise latine" (Paris, 1907). Cousse-
maker's most noted musico-historical works are:
"M6raoires sur Hucbald" (1841); "Histoire de I'har-
monie au moyen age" (1852); " Les harmonistes des
XIP et XIIP siecles" (1864) ; "(Euvres completes du
trouvcre Adam de la Halle" (1872); "Joannis Tinc-
toris Tractatus de Musica", and his collection in four
volumes, intended to be a continuation of Gerbert's
"Scriptorcs", of writings by medieval authors enti-
tled: "Scriptorum de musica medii a'vi nova series a
Gerbertino altera" (186G-76). Besides these, CoiLsse-
maker published numerous essays and magazine
articles on historical, technical, and aesthetic ques-
tions in regard to music.
Waaldridge, The Oxford History of Mtisic (Oxford, 1901- 1905); RiEMANN, Handbuch der Musikgcschichle (Leipzig, 1905X
Joseph Ottbn.
Coustant, Pierre, a learned Benedictine of the Congregation of Saint^Maur, b. at Compiegne, France, 30 April, 1654; d. at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des- Pr6s near Paris, 18 October, 1721. After receiving his classical education in the Jesuit College at Com- piegne, he entered the Benedictine monastery of Saint-R^mi at Reims as novice at the age of seven- teen, and took vows on 12 August, 1672. He made his philosophical and theological studies partly at Saint- Remi, partly at the monastery of Saint-Medard in Soissons whither he was sent to study philosophy under Francois Lamy. In 1G81 his superiors sent him to the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pr& to assist his confrere Thomas Blampin in editing the works of St. Augustine. Constant's chief contribution to this publication, which still remains the best edition of St. Augustine's works, consisted in the separating of the spurious from the genuine WTitings. He also aided his f(-llow Benedictines Pldmond Marti^ne and Robert Morel in making the indexes for the fourth volume containing the conunentaries on the Psalms. In an appendix to the fiftli volume he collected all the spuri- ous homilies and traenl tlicm Id their true sources.
The learning and acumen which ('ci\islaiit displayed in his share ofllic edition of St. Augustine's worksdid not remain unnoticed by the Abbot Cieiieral of the Maurist Congregation. When Mabillon suggested a new edition of the works of St. Hilary of Poitiers, it was Coustant whom the abbot general selected for
this difficult undertaking. There was before this time
practically only one edition of this great Gallic Doctor
of the Church, namely the defective and uncritical
one published by Erasmus (Basle, 1523). The subse-
quent editions of Mira?us (Paris, 1544), Lipsius (Basle,
1550), Gryna'us (Basle, 1570), Gillotius (Paris, 1572),
and the one issued by the Paris Typographical Soci-
ety in 1605 were little more than reprints of the Eras-
mian text. After making himself thoroughly con-
versant with St. Hilary's terminology and train of
thought, Coustant compared munerous manuscripts
with a view to restoring the original text. In an ex-
tensive general preface he proved the Catholicity of
Hilary's doctrine concerning the birth of Christ from
the Virgin Mary, the Holy Eucharist, Grace, the Last
Judgment, the Holy Trinity, and other Catholic dog-
mas. The preface is followed liy two biographical
sketches of the saint, tin- fdninr of which was com-
posed by Coustant him ^'11 I'll Ml I ihf writings of Hilary,
while the latter is a njiroiliici ji.ii of the life WTitten
by Fortunatus of Poitiers. Each treatise is preceded
by a special preface stating its occasion and purpose,
and the time when it was written. Difficult and ob-
scure passages are explained in foot-notes. This edi-
tion of St. HUary is a model work of its kind and ranks
as one of the most esteemed literary productions of the
Maurist Congregation. It was published in one folio
volimie at Paris in 1693 and bears the title: "Sancti
Hilarii Pictavorum episcopi opera ad manuscriptos
codices gallicanos, romanos, belgicos, noc non ad
veteres editiones castigata, aliquot aucta opusculis",
etc. The work was republished with a few additions
by Scipio Maffei (Verona, 1730) and by Migne, P. L.,
IX and X.
Constant's love for study did not prevent him from being an exemplary monk. Though often over- whelmed with work, he was pimctual in attending the common religious exercises and found time for private works of piety. ^-Vfter comiileting the edition of St. Hilary's works he rei) nested his superiors to release him temporarily from literary labours and to allow him to devote more of his time to prayer and medita- tion. The wish was granted, though not as he ex- pected. He was appointed prior of the monastery of Nogent^sous-Coucy. After three years he was, upon his own urgent request, relieved from the priorate and retiu-ned to Saint-Germain-des-Pr^s. For some time he worked on the new edition of the Maurist Breviary; then he assisted his confrere Claude Guesni^ in mak- ing the elaborate general index to the works of St. Augustine.
Immediately upon the publication of St. Augus- tine's works in 1700, Coustant was entrusted by his superiors with the editing of a complete collection of the letters of the popes from St. Clement I to Innocent III (c. 88-1216). To understand the colossal labour which such an undertaking entailed, it must be borne in mind that very little had been done in this direction before. There were, indeed, the papal decretals from Clement I to Gregory MI, collected by Cardinal An- tonio Caraffa and [iulilishe<l by Antonio d'Aquino ir 159 1, but they were incomplete and their chronological order was frequently incorrect. There were also th( "Annales" of Baronius and the "Concilia antiquf Gallia;" of the Jesuit Jacques Sirmond, and othe works containing scattered letters of the popes; bu' no one had ever atteinpteci to make a complete collec tion of pajial letters, much le.ss to .sift the .spuriou; from the authentic, to restore the original texts an( to order the letters chronologically.
After devoting more than twenty years to thi gigantic luidertaking, Constant was able to publisi the first volume' in 1721. It contains the letters fron the y<-ar 07 to the year 440, and is entitled " Episloh Romanorum Pontifieum et qu:e ad eos seripta' stmt S. Clemente I u.sque ad Innocentiutn III, quotquol reperiri potuerunt. . . ." (Paris, 1721). In the
