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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Motets and Midi practice tracks

Veronica Brandt · February 7, 2015

keyboard and headphones WISE SAYING MAINTAINS THAT lazy people take the most trouble. This is very true, especially when combined with another law which states that what can go wrong, will go wrong.

My plan was to make practice tracks for Palestrina’s Jesu Rex Admirabilis. It is a perfect piece for small choirs. It is written in three parts, sometimes given as SSA or SAB. There is a little bit of counting in the last part, but the voices mostly stick together.

Most editions give only one or two verses, but Bernard of Clairvaux’s hymn has many, many verses to extend the piece if desired.

So, I thought that there must be practice tracks already available on the internet. So I searched, and cringed, and searched some more.

Then I found a treasure trove of MIDI files made for choir practice. Each part is separated from the rest using the stereo effect. By adjusting the balance of your speakers you can choose how to balance the part you are learning with the parts of the rest of the choir.

The collection is called SingingPractice.co.uk, or Midi file store and it includes Jesu Rex Admirabilis in amongst the music sung in January 2010. Listening through the Soprano track helped my young soprano to hear the timing for a certain held note.

That webpage contains many, many such midi files. Looking for three part pieces I found

  • André Caplet’s O Salutaris Hostia (sheet music at IMSLPD and midi files here)
  • O Virgo Splendens from the Red Book of Montserrat (sheet music at CPDL and midi files here) This one is like a melismatic chant round in with bunches of porrectusses all over the place. The midi rendering is alright for note bashing, but you would do well to look for a good recording to get the hang of how it flows. Here is a PDF version of O Virgo Splendens in square notes or neumes. I typed it up about ten years ago for a pilgrimage.

A last note – the midi files do not contain lyrics. The webpage recommends a certain Midi Karaoke player, more for the ease of adjusting tempo and pitch. It’s still best to read the lyrics from the sheet music.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Sheet Music Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(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

It should be borne in mind that there is no preference expressed in the liturgical legislation for either “versus populum” or “ad orientem.” Since both positions enjoy the favor of law, the legislation may not be invoked to say that one position or the other accords more closely with the mind of the Church.

— ‘Congregation for Divine Worship (Vatican City), 10 April 2000’

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