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Views from the Choir Loft

Important Resources for Liturgical Reform (1 of 7)

Richard J. Clark · August 8, 2014

HILE STRIVING FOR the ideal in liturgy we also deal in the real world with real people. This makes our work challenging yet all the more rewarding as we edge closer and closer toward singing the mass and toward more reverent liturgy—nurturing both exterior and interior prayer. By this we hope to achieve what Saint Pius X states as the purpose of the liturgy: “…the Glory of God and the edification and sanctification of the faithful.” (Tra le Sollecitudini, General principles §1)

We are but imperfect in our frail humanity, and to achieve such goals we rely on God and each other! With choirs resuming recruitment and rehearsals, many are searching for new resources and direction. Some mainstream resources are geared towards maximizing market share; there are a number of others, perhaps lesser known that have the above words of St. Pius X and Sacrosanctum Concilium in mind. Therefore, this week, the writers of “Views” intend to shine the light not only on their own wonderful work but also on resources that your choir may find useful, affordable, and in many cases free.

OR ANY CHOIR ASKING THE QUESTION, “WHERE DO I BEGIN?” A great starting point is the astoundingly comprehensive Liturgical Planning pages of CanticaNOVA Publications. Senior Editor Gary Penkala has compiled lists of resources and suggested music for every Sunday and feast day of the liturgical calendar for the Novus Ordo.

A typical index for any given Sunday or feast day will list suggested settings in order of priority. Listed first are the official texts of the mass to be sung, i.e., the propers and the ordinary. For example, the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) lists multiple options for the Introit, Gradual/Responsorial Psalm, Alleluia, Offertory, and Communion. This includes Gregorian chant from the Graduale Romanum to various settings in English including those composed by the likes of Bartlett, Motyka, Oost-Zinner, Tietze, Rice, Ostrowski, etc. Links are provided to various sources. Some resources are free and some are available through CanticaNOVA Publications.

NLY AFTER THE PROPERS AND THE ORDINARY will you find suggestions for hymns and choral anthems. You can be certain that the hymns listed are theologically sound! For organists, there is a comprehensive list of organ repertoire suitable for preludes and postludes, etc.

At the bottom, you will always find very useful the “Liturgical Hints and Ideas.” For example, he discusses and provides links for general sources of the propers for what is described as “Real and authentic Catholic liturgical music.”

Finally, I offer a sampling of my own resources. Some are published with CanticaNOVA, some are free, and other published with RJC Cecilia Music.

      * *  Mass of the Angels • CanticaNOVA Publications
      * *  Mass in Honor of Pope Saint John Paul II • Free Download – Corpus Christi Watershed
      * *  Sacred Choral Works • RJC Cecilia Music
      * *  Chant Based Organ Works • RJC Cecilia Music


7-part series:   “Important Resources for Liturgical Reform”

FIRST PART • Richard Clark

SECOND PART • Veronica Brandt

THIRD PART • Fr. David Friel

FOURTH PART • Jeff Ostrowski

FIFTH PART • Jon Naples

SIXTH PART • Andrew Motyka

SEVENTH PART • Peter Kwasniewski

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: CanticaNOVA Publications, Reform of the Reform Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —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

“Worse, composers are now setting the introits of the missal [instead of the Graduale] to music, even to chant, though these texts were explicitly for spoken recitation only.”

— ‘Dr. William Mahrt (Fall, 2015)’

Recent Posts

  • 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.”
  • Now Available! • “Hymns of Cardinal Newman: Kevin Allen’s Legendary Choral Settings”
  • Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

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