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Views from the Choir Loft

Learn A New Word, See It Within 24 Hours (5)

Jeff Ostrowski · May 7, 2012

I’ve written about this subject before, here, here, here, and here. Whenever one learns a new word or talks about an odd subject, one will see it again “out of the blue” within 24 hours. This used to happen to me once a month. Now it seems to happen all the time. It can be something relatively common (like a random Star Wars excerpt or particulars of skateboarding) that manifests itself within 24 hours, or it can be even more bizarre. Perhaps this will become more clear if I describe a recent example:

Anyone who has seen My Fair Lady remembers how the father of Eliza Doolittle talks. He has a funny way of speaking. Note carefully these famous lines of his:

“I ain’t pretendin’ to be deservin’. No, I’m undeservin’ . . . and I mean to go on being undeservin’. I like it and that’s the truth. But will you take advantage of a man’s nature? . . . Do him out of the price of his own daughter, what he’s brought up, fed and clothed by the sweat of his brow?”

Obviously, Mr. Doolittle should have said “whom he’s brought up” not “what he’s brought up.”

So, a few days ago, I started asking myself, “What would it be like if we all spoke as Eliza Doolittle’s father?” A question like this: «Are there any Germans working here?» would change to: «Are there any Germans what work here?» A statement like this: «Good things come to those who wait.» would become: «Good things come to them what wait.» A proverb like this: «There is danger for him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion from a woman.» would now read as: «There is danger for him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for him what snatches a delusion from a woman.» A sentence like this: «Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl … the girl who has everything?» would change to «Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl … the girl what has everything?»

Almost like clockwork, what do I come accross later that very day, while reading a little Sherlock Holmes?

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Learn a new word see it within 24 hours Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“A striking detail: at Solesmes, we remember hearing Justine Ward criticize accompaniment sometimes or seeing her cover her ears, especially when the organ accompanied a soloist, which is something she could not accept.”

— Dom Pierre Combe

Recent Posts

  • Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
  • Bishop François Charrière Vs. Hannibal Bugnini
  • 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “My First Year with the Latin Mass” • A Music Director’s Perspective
  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”

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