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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

A Word About Hymns . . . OK, A Few Words!

Jeff Ostrowski · February 17, 2013

OR THOSE INTERESTED in my opinions, I have written a fair amount about Catholic hymnody here [url] and here [url]. But I expect I will never be “finished” talking about hymns. For the record, I love hymns. For years, I did not love hymns, but that was because I was not exposed to great hymns. Now that I think about it, I also wrote about hymns here [url]. I will try my best not to repeat what I have already said in the aforementioned articles, but (as you might expect) this could prove difficult. I have been known to criticize priests who preach long, rambling sermons relating to the congregation “everything they know”: but now the shoe is on the other foot, as I sit here trying to resist the temptation to tell “everything I know” about hymns … because it is all so interesting!

Augustus Edmonds Tozer (d. 1910) was an English organist who edited a famous Catholic Hymnal which he called (with great originality) “Catholic Church Hymnal.” I think it first appeared around 1905. As I have already implied (in those articles) most of the stuff that appeared in those early Catholic vernacular hymnals was pretty much … garbage. What is hilarious (to me, at least) is reading what Tozer says on the very first page of his Preface:

I have not included the proper plain-chant melodies to the translated Breviary hymns, believing them to be unsuitable when sung to words in the vernacular. I have, on the other hand, retained several more or less traditional tunes, absolutely valueless and without merit from a musical point of view, but which seem to have become a necessity if a book is to appeal— as I hope this one will— to the varied needs of various churches. [my emphasis]

I would have changed his word “several” to “a whole bunch,” and if you read my previous articles, or this one [url] (which I just remembered), you will see that Adrian Fortescue and many others agree with this notion.

I have recently been thinking about hymns quite a bit, since two days ago I released 800 pages of organ accompaniments for the Campion Missal [url]. A good portion of these pages are hymn harmonizations, and you can view both volumes here:

     *  Organ Accompaniments for the Campion Hymnal [url]

I am so glad that I included a lot of different harmonizations and transpositions for the hymns. There is no “perfect” accompaniment for a hymn. After all, there can be many beautiful and adequate harmonizations. What range is good? SATB range is different than congregational. If your cantor has a low voice, a lower accompaniment is good. If he has a higher voice, a higher version would be preferred. Some organists have a “transposer” button on their organs, but many do not. Some organists cannot play hymns with a difficult key signature. This also has an effect. Usually, D Major, C Major, B-flat Major, G Major, F Major, and E-flat Major are “safe” keys. What about a pedal line? Should that be included? What about descants? What about passing tones? Should those be included? Some organists (myself included) add these only for certain verses. When will the hymn be sung? In the morning, the range should be lower. At night, the range should be higher. By the way, “range” is not the same as “tessitura.” The acoustics of the Church have an impact. Furthermore, sometimes the organist can “build”: in other words, play two verses at a lower key, then improvise into a higher key for the final verse. There are hundreds more considerations, and this is why I am so glad our newest book includes different versions for many of the hymns. I believe that more than half of the hymns are given in more than one key.

P.S.  Some organists claim they can “transpose at sight.” However, I personally have only met a handful of organists who can do this. Sometimes organists say they can transpose at sight … until you ask them for a demonstration! Other organists claim they can transpose at sight … and when it comes time for them to do it, they slow the tempo WAY DOWN. I cannot transpose at sight, except for rather simple pieces. If you are an organist who can genuinely transpose at sight, please know you are special !!! My hat is off to you.

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

Filed Under: Articles 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

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

At the Catholic gathering (Katholikentag) held at Breslau in August, the Papal Nuncio celebrated Mass for 80,000 participants, facing the people (the “Missa versus populum”).

— “Orate Fratres” Magazine (23 Jan. 1927)

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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