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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

60 Minutes • “The Pope’s Choir” (Sistine Chapel)

Jeff Ostrowski · December 21, 2016

WONDERFUL CHORAL CONDUCTOR in Los Angeles, Mr. Pete Avendaño, recently posted about a segment on 60 MINUTES featuring the Pope’s Choir. At the bottom of this article, I provide a link to the complete video (12 minutes in duration).

The video is really spectacular, even riveting.

However, I do feel a few defects are present.


The video sharply condemns the choir’s previous directors:


Condemnation like this is a dangerous game. 1 For example, several clips they showed (from the current choir) are not immaculate. Furthermore, I suspect many professional conductors would condemn the current conductor’s wild motions and posture wherein his face appears “glued” to the score. It might have been better to simply focus on the positive. On the other hand, the producers of 60 MINUTES most likely insisted upon drama…


I really hope this sweet little boy doesn’t get in trouble for what he says about Pope Francis:


I know Pope Francis used to attend the opera, growing up. At the same time, I think he’s mentioned somewhere his singing is terrible.


The Pope’s Choir is quite selective:


I think it’s wonderful to have a selective choir—I truly do. At the same time, I believe the only way authentic sacred music will survive is if we take it “to the layman.” My choir in Los Angeles has very few members who read music, but they do a phenomenal job. I admit it’s much easier to conduct a group of professionally trained singers. I admit that teaching Catholics with scant liturgical music training has unique frustrations. But it’s so rewarding! And I truly believe that consigning authentic sacred music to “specialists” is the wrong way to go.

You can watch the full video at this link, but be careful—there are some inappropriate commercials not suited for young children.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Perhaps the producers felt safe because the choir did have such a poor reputation. A friend of mine was very highly placed in Rome, and I’ll never forget his words to me in 2004: “The Sistine choir is the scandal of Christendom. The group consists entirely of ringers from the opera!”

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

    “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
    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

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

“I left music college swearing never to write another note again … It was during the mid-1980s when esoteric and cerebral avant-garde music was still considered the right kind of music to be writing.”

— James MacMillan

Recent Posts

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