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“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

Sing Everything From the Viewpoint of the Resurrection

Richard J. Clark · April 7, 2017

T IS QUITE POSSIBLE the best thing to happen to me is to understand my own mortality. Birthdays at my age will do that. The physical, mental, and emotional challenge of caring for young children will do that. Failure and uncertainty will do that. We are but dust and to dust we shall return. For me at least, it is way past time to repent and believe in the Gospel. This is a gift of Ash Wednesday.

Facing mortality may wake us up to what God wishes for us: The gift of Christ’s sacrifice is the ultimate show of love, for he wants us to share in his eternal life—where death has no dominion. “…the love of God doesn’t end in death. It goes beyond it. Death is no hindrance to the love of God.” (Peter G. van Breemen, SJ, As Bread That Is Broken, pg.169)

OLY WEEK is upon us. Now, in these last days of Lent, the tension in the daily Gospels is palpable. There is no question Jesus will suffer horrifically and die. Peter van Breemen states, “The Gospel should be read from the viewpoint of the resurrection because that is the way it was written.“ (As Bread That Is Broken, pg.167) Central to our faith is the Resurrection. We know this intellectually. We profess this. But music has has power to describe the indescribable and speak the ineffable. That is what our choirs must do this Holy Week.

Most especially during Holy Week, sacred song and prayer become indistinguishable (although this is always our goal!) How does this happen? The period of Lent prepares us in unexpected ways. Take for example, Jesus’ Transfiguration on the second Sunday of Lent. God shows us as he really is—something beyond our human comprehension. Christ’s revelation in the Transfiguration is echoed in the communion antiphon on August 6th—the Feast of the Transfiguration: “When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

This is truly God’s wish for us—to see him as he IS, which in turn reveals just how much God truly loves us. From the familiar text of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

HIS HOLY WEEK especially, we must sing everything from the viewpoint of the resurrection, of God’s overpowering love. This includes the emotional roller coaster of Palm Sunday. This includes the confusion the disciples feel of Christ’s example in washing their feet. This includes the suffering of Good Friday, for Good Friday brings us the greatest hope of all. For death has no power over God, and God wants the same for us.

Your choir’s preparation for Holy Week has been a great prayer. This week, your song and prayer will be indistinguishable. Sing with great joy and hope. Christ’s love is more than you can bear.

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 Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(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

“A striking detail: at Solesmes, we remember hearing Justine Ward criticize accompaniment sometimes or seeing her cover her ears, especially when the organ accompanied a soloist, which is something she could not accept.”

— Dom Pierre Combe

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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