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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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

Are Hymns Boring?

Jeff Ostrowski · April 6, 2014

686 ORGANIST HE MAJORITY of parishes I’ve attended sing hymns like this:

1st Verse:   Congregation, choir, & organ

2nd Verse:   Congregation, choir, & organ

3rd Verse:   Congregation, choir, & organ

4th Verse:   Congregation, choir, & organ

5th Verse:   Congregation, choir, & organ

6th Verse:   Congregation, choir, & organ


By the fourth verse, I’m already asleep … so boring!   Here’s how I like to sing hymns:

1st Verse:   Treble voices only with soft organ registration

2nd Verse:   Entire congregation with louder organ registration

… organ interlude/improvisation

3rd Verse:   Men’s voices only with organ

4th Verse:   Entire congregation with even louder organ registration

… organ interlude/improvisation takes the hymn into a higher key

5th Verse:   Choir singing SATB harmony without organ accompaniment

6th Verse:   Entire congregation sings, men on the melody, women on a descant, while the organist plays a different harmonization with heavy chromaticism

By the way, Our Lady of the Atonement uses something similar, and it’s marvelous.

WHEN I WAS COMMISSIONED to compose accompaniments for strophic Gregorian hymns in the 2012 edition of the St. Michael Hymnal, I insisted on providing different harmonizations for each verse. After all, this has been “standard practice” for almost 100 years (at least when it comes to composers who really know what they’re doing). The editors were not able to include them all (since this would have made the book too large) but I made it part of our official agreement that a link would be included next to each piece, showing where they can download the full accompaniments, and the editors agreed. Here’s that link:

      * *  Organ accompaniments to Gregorian hymns in St. Michael’s Hymnal

Was this a big deal? If you look at the CRUX FIDELIS or the SALVE FESTA DIES, you’ll begin to understand why this task required many hours.

I provide a video demonstration here:

      * *  Video explanation of Gregorian accompaniments

One of the people involved with Watershed at that time asked, “Why are you giving away all your compositional secrets?” The answer is simple: Watershed has always been about doing whatever we can to improve Church music. That is why, for instance, we made all 3,000 pages of the NOH available (here) for free download in 2008.

In the end, “variety” is the name of the game. Here are some articles which explain the importance of variety in Catholic liturgical music:

      * *  The G.I.R.M. Mentions “Hymnus” Only Once

      * *  A Simple Plan To Improve Music At Mass

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymns Replacing Propers, Parish Book of Chant Organ Accompaniments 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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

«In the same quarter where he was crucified there was a garden.» (John 19:41) — The word “garden” hinted at Eden and the fall of man, as it also suggested through its flowers in the springtime the Resurrection from the dead.

— Fulton J. Sheen

Recent Posts

  • “What Martin Luther Said…”
  • “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Worship the Lord in Holy Attire
  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

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