Views from the Choir Loft

Two Transatlantic Choir Tours

Fr. David Friel · September 17, 2017

WO CHOIRS of note are coming on tour through the United States in the coming month. First is the Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina, and second will be the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School.

Commonly known as the “Pope’s choir,” the 30 boys and 22 men of the Sistine Chapel ensemble will sing in three American cities. Dating back to the 7th century, the Sistine Chapel choir holds the distinction of being the oldest choir in the world. This will be their first tour in the United States in more than 30 years.

Msgr. Massimo Palombella has served as Master Director of the Sistine Chapel Choir since 2010. Their tour performances will include the following:

New York City • September 16, 2017 • St. Patrick’s Cathedral • 7 PM Concert

Washington, DC • September 20, 2017 • Catholic University of America • 6 PM Concert

Detroit, MI • September 23, 2017 • Detroit Opera House • 7:30 PM Concert

More information about their tour is available here.

The boys choir from Brompton Oratory in London consists of singers aged 8 to 18 who sing weekly Mass, in addition to school Masses and services, as well as a robust program of concerts and touring. They performed magnificently at a concert during Sacra Liturgia UK in 2016.

Under the direction of Charles Cole, the London Oratory Schola has five scheduled engagements during their USA Tour 2017, including three Masses and two concerts.

Cambridge, MA • October 22, 2017 • St. Paul’s, Harvard Square • 11 AM Sung Mass

Cambridge, MA • October 22, 2017 • St. Paul’s, Harvard Square • 3 PM Concert

New York City • October 26, 2017 • Church of St. Vincent Ferrer • 7:30 PM Concert

Washington, DC • October 28, 2017 • St. Thomas Apostle Church • 7 PM Concert

Washington, DC • October 29, 2017 • Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception • 4:30 PM Sung Mass

More information about the London Oratory Schola and their special United States tour is available here.

I look forward to hearing both of these distinguished choirs sing when they pass through the nation’s capital!

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

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

Particularly Beautiful

The 2nd Sunday of Lent has magnificent propers. Its INTROIT is particularly striking—using a haunting tonality—but the COMMUNION with fauxbourdon verses is also quite remarkable. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Which Mass?

In 1905, when the Vatican Commission on Gregorian Chant began publishing the EDITIO VATICANA—still the Church’s official edition— they assigned different Masses to different types of feasts. However, they were careful to add a note (which began with the words “Qualislibet cantus hujus Ordinarii…”) making clear “chants from one Mass may be used together with those from others.” Sadly, I sometimes worked for TLM priests who weren’t fluent in Latin. As a result, they stubbornly insisted Mass settings were ‘assigned’ to different feasts and seasons (which is false). To understand the great variety, one should examine the 1904 KYRIALE of Dr. Peter Wagner. One should also look through Dom Mocquereau’s Liber Usualis (1904), in which the Masses are all mixed up. For instance, Gloria II in his book ended up being moved to the ‘ad libitum’ appendix in the EDITIO VATICANA.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Like! Like! Like!

You won’t believe who recently gave us a “like” on the Corpus Christi Watershed FACEBOOK PAGE. Click here (PDF) to see who it was. We were not only sincerely honored, we were utterly flabbergasted. This was truly a resounding endorsement and unmistakable stamp of approval.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Extreme Unction

Those who search Google for “CCCC MS 079” will discover high resolution images of a medieval Pontificale (“Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 079”). One of the pages contains this absolutely gorgeous depiction of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”

I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)

I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.

—Jeff Ostrowski