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Views from the Choir Loft

Yes or No? • Accompanying Chant with the Organ

Andrew Leung · March 10, 2016

CTL Chant Accompaniment HIS IS ONE OF THE hottest topics in the field of sacred music: should chant be accompanied by the organ? While I am not on either side, I know people on the both sides of this discussion and I have heard their reasons. I am very blessed to have worked with many choral ensembles: professional and amateur choirs, monastic scholae and parish choirs, congregations that favor the traditional music and people who know nothing about the Church’s music. After working with Church music in so many contexts and with such diverse people, I have come to the conclusion that chant can be done effectively both ways.

Every choir (singers who sing and practice as a group) ought to be able to chant without organ accompaniment. The Church has always taught that the human voice is the primary instrument in the liturgy. No other instruments can sing like our voices which are created by God “in His image”. Nor can musical instruments express the text the way human voice can. That is why every choir, ideally, should be able to chant a capella without the accompaniment of any secondary instruments. I understand some choirs may be in the process of developing the skill of chant and they need the assistance of the organ. However, they should still make chanting a capella their goal and work on their skills in rehearsals.

While this advice applies to choirs chanting the propers and hymns alone, without congregational participation, I think the same goal can be set for congregational singing of the ordinaries, psalms and hymns. In a parish setting, the organ can help the faithful to learn the melodies of the chants and stay in tune. Some organists also like to accompany chants so that they can maintain the pace. That is a valid reason; however, it leads to competition between the organist and the singers, because the organ’s strong and loud registrations tend to lead by anticipating the sung melodies. The most effective way to maintain good pace of the chants is to have a confident choir leading the singing.

I really enjoy the simplicity and purity of plainsong without accompaniment. On the other hand, I do think good organ accompaniment adds color and solemnity to chant. Organ accompaniment is appropriate on special feast days, and during the Christmas and Easter seasons. Whether it is the glorious accompaniment of the French tradition or the expressive registrations of the English tradition, the pipe organ can help us express the text in a very special way. But of course, chant should remain unaccompanied during the penitential seasons. Here are two examples of good chant accompaniment by a former Cistercian monk. The first video is the Cistercian Salve Regina and the second one is Psalm 2 in English accompanied by the organ.






If you are interested in chant accompaniment, this former monk organist uploaded a series of tutorial videos on Youtube.

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 Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(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

“For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders”—is that English idiom? “For the Nazis, and all the Germans, except they say Heil Hitler! meet not in the street, holding their lives valuable”—is that English idiom?

— Monsignor Ronald Knox

Recent Posts

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

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