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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Brébeuf Hymnal • “Behind the Scenes”

Jeff Ostrowski · July 22, 2018

4713 • HYMNAL COVER • The St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal HAT HAS GARNERED attention for the Brébeuf Hymnal has been our inclusion of contemporary material by distinguished composers and poets. Many hymns were commissioned specifically for the Brébeuf Hymnal.

But the Brébeuf Hymnal has so much more.

For example, this book contains ancient English hymn translations never before revealed. 1 For obvious reasons, the committee does not want the research tables released—but I have obtained permission to share a brief example with you:

    * *  PDF • EXAMPLE of a “Research Chart”

Notice how the Roman Catholic translation from 1598AD closely matches the literal translation:

88163 Brebeuf Hymnal SNEAK PEEK


Creating a metrical translation like that—which was designed to be sung to the same plainsong melody as the Latin version—is incredibly difficult. I will provide more information about the brave Catholic who created that translation another day.

Very soon, the Brébeuf Hymnal will be sent off for final proofreading. The work of half a decade—finally!—has entered the final stages of production.  Laus Deo!



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Much of what we’ve discovered cannot be placed in the book because there simply isn’t enough room. This is rather frustrating, because the research tables with which I was involved required hours of painstaking work to create. However, at the end of the day, we only included that which was the most excellent—nothing but the very best.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal 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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

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

“Prohibiting or suspecting the extraordinary form can only be inspired by the demon who desires our suffocation and spiritual death.”

— Robert Cardinal Sarah (23-sep-2019), chosen by Pope Francis to be the Vatican’s chief liturgist

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