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Jesus said to them: “I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it, that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind. If you were blind, you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, ‘We can see clearly,’ that you cannot be rid of your guilt.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

May Crowning • The Official Antiphon

Jeff Ostrowski · May 18, 2016

E TEND TO THINK of the May crowning as bright & joyful, since it occurs during the merry month of May. Did you know the liturgical books designate an antiphon for the May crowning ceremony? 1

Do you agree the following is a DARK antiphon?

    * *  Vocal Score (PDF)   •   Organ Accompaniment (PDF)


Mary’s not just a happy Queen—she’s a fearful one. If you’ve ever been close to death, you can recall the serious terror that grabs hold of your mind & heart. The Church seems to be reminding us of how serious Mary’s role was: saying “yes” to the Redeemer.

You can hear this antiphon sung by more than fifty singers if you attend the 4:30pm SOLEMN MASS which I have spoken about already.  Will I see you there?

It’s your chance to meet the FSSP District Superior and famous conductors like Dr. Horst Buchholz and Dr. Alfred Calabrese!



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   It’s the same antiphon used for Communion on 31 May in the 1962 calendar, which is called “Mary the Queen.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Sacred Music Symposium 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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President’s Corner

    “Entrance Chant” • 4th Sunday of Easter
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 4th Sunday of Easter (11 May 2025). Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. The English adaptation matches the authentic version (Misericórdia Dómini), which is in a somber yet gorgeous mode. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music List • “Repertoire for Weddings”
    Not everyone thinks about sacred music 24/7 like we do. When couples are getting married, they often request “suggestions” or “guidance” or a “template” for their musical selections. I created music list with repertoire suggestions for Catholic weddings. Please feel free to download it if you believe it might give you some ideas or inspiration.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Beginning a Men’s Schola
    I mentioned that we recently began a men’s Schola Cantorum. Last Sunday, they sang the COMMUNION ANTIPHON for the 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year C. If you’re so inclined, feel free to listen to this live recording of them. I feel like we have a great start, and we’ll get better and better as time goes on. The musical score for that COMMUNION ANTIPHON can be downloaded (completely free of charge) from the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

“Since the English is not meant to be sung, but only to tell people who do not understand Latin what the text means, a simple paraphrase in prose is sufficient. The versions are not always very literal. Literal translations from Latin hymns would often look odd in English. I have tried to give in a readable, generally rhythmic form the real meaning of the text.”

— Fr. Adrian Fortescue (1913)

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