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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

Audrey Hepburn, Fulton J. Sheen, & Church Singers Who Can’t Read Music

Jeff Ostrowski · March 30, 2014

702 Eliza Y FAIR LADY (1964) is one of my favorite movies. Julie Andrews, whom you’ve doubtless seen in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, first made this story popular alongside Rex Harrison on Broadway. Shockingly, Andrews was not selected to star in the 1964 film because producers felt she wasn’t famous enough. Instead, Audrey Hepburn 1 was chosen. For the record, I think Julie Andrews would have been fantastic!

Audrey Hepburn’s singing voice, however, was not used. Those sections were dubbed by another singer. Hepburn (I’m told) was a low singer and the directors balked at transposing her songs to a lower tessitura. If you search YouTube, though, you can see movie clips with Hepburn’s actual voice!!!

      * *  VIDEO EXAMPLE • Hepburn’s Actual Singing Voice   —   (a version without ads)

But what does this have to do with Church musicians?

The fact is, Audrey Hepburn was not that great of a singer. Some might find this statement unfair. After all, they might assert, Hepburn knew another singer’s voice would dub hers, so she was mainly concerned with the facial emotions. (If, in fact, she knew this, I suppose that assertion is worth considering.)

But isn’t it strange to hear this video? Her singing technique has some … flaws!

Do you direct choir members with flaws? Do you direct choir members who can’t read music? Do you direct choir members who don’t know how to “swell” on the correct notes, sometimes sing the wrong pitch, and are consistently too heavy on the final tones? Take heart — just tell them that even Audrey Hepburn made mistakes!

Did you notice that singer, pianist, and chorus weren’t always together in that clip? What’s wrong? Can’t they count? Can’t they feel the beat? Again: these are the things that happen in real life. I’m often amazed when I hear piano concerti performed by the most famous artists (Vladimir Horowitz, Josef Hofmann, Fritz Reiner, Edwin Fisher, Ignaz Tiegerman, and so forth) only to discover that orchestra and soloist are not together! It’s quite … disconcerting. If this happens to the most talented, why do we become frustrated with our amateur singers? Why don’t we show more patience?

DURING THE 1970S, MY FRIEND’S FATHER met Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in Missouri. Approaching the end of his life, Sheen was traveling all over the USA promoting the daily Holy Hour. This father introduced his wife and told him they had twelve children. Looking into the mother’s eyes, Sheen said, “You’re guaranteed salvation.” Then he looked at the father and said, “Any woman who sheds so much blood for children is guaranteed salvation.”

I believe there’s another reason why mothers are pleasing to the Lord. Every second of their lives — each and every second — is dedicated to caring for young babies, and they never get a break. You might think I’m exaggerating … but I’m not. Mothers never get a moment of peace when young children are around. Period.

Similarly, singing is pleasing to God since it is necessary to give one’s entire self. If somebody sings “half-heartedly” the listener can always tell. True singing demands total commitment — heart, mind, and voice — and this is why it’s important to sing worthy liturgical music that’s truly sacred.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   In grade school, we students asked a happily-married professor his candidate for the most beautiful woman of all time. (You’d be amazed at the topics we discussed in school, by the way!) The professor answered without hesitation, “Probably Audrey Hepburn.” I remember being shocked. I’d seen her in My Fair Lady but didn’t think her looks were anything special … and my opinion remains the same after all these years. However, according to Google, many men consider her the most beautiful woman of all time.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Audrey Hepburn My Fair Lady 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

“Then, when the later great Germans arrived, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven—all secular composers—and tried their hands at sacred music, they set Roman Catholic words to music which in form and spirit is Protestant.”

— Sir Richard Runciman Terry (1912)

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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