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Views from the Choir Loft

“The Story Of The Adoremus Hymnal”

Jeff Ostrowski · September 4, 2018

87699 ADOREMUS HYMNAL HE INTERNET is a vicious place; probably because people communicate without looking each other in the eye. Even in “traditional” circles, jealousy and dishonesty abound (which is very sad). Sometimes, it feels like the Catholic Church is a circular firing squad, whereas enemies of the Faith seem united and powerful. Online Catholic music circles are even worse: everyone has strong opinions, and if someone dares to suggest a different approach, out come the knives! Today, however, I desire to do something positive. I wish to pay tribute to the creators of the ADOREMUS HYMNAL, which in 1997 was a real game changer.

The CMAA recently posted a fascinating article by Dr. Kurt Poterack, describing its origin:

    * *  PDF Download • The Adoremus Hymnal—Its Origin (2 pages)

Recall the environment of 1997. The internet existed, but barely. Just a few years earlier (25 December 1991) the Soviet Union fell. The television show “Full House” had just ended. Michael Jordan was at his zenith, and DVDs started to appear. Most Catholic choirmasters in those days who supported authentic sacred music were isolated. The rotten ICEL translation was in its heyday. What ADOREMUS accomplished in 1997 was daring and powerful, and they deserve our gratitude.

This honest and well-written article by Dr. Poterack hit home with me, especially where he speaks of how much work goes into producing a hymnal. Like Poterack, I serve on a committee, which is creating the St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal. Our book—finally!—is almost complete and being proofread, but it took five years of grueling work.

TEN YEARS AGO, when I had to choose a hymnal for the Catholic high school choral program I was running, I chose Adoremus. I do feel it has shortcomings—but before I say anything further, let me repeat:

When the Adoremus Hymnal appeared in 1997, it was by far the best hymnal created by a major USA publisher. The brave people who produced it are to be commended.

Now that I have made it clear how seminal this book was, let me mention a few unsatisfactory things. First, in my humble opinion, it was extremely limited—in terms of the number of hymns. Secondly, there were tons of “missing numbers,” and our school principal kept insisting that we send the books back because “they are missing pages.” (Dr. Poterack explains this mystery in the article above.) Thirdly, the hymns almost always required a page turn right in the middle—forcing the singers to keep turning back and forth.

My main objection to the book, however, was this: the hymnody is too Protestant. “What?” you exclaim. “Too Protestant? But isn’t the best hymnody Protestant?” No, it isn’t. If one carefully examines the situation, one discovers that Catholics have written tons of really tremendous hymns. In particular, the ancient Breviary hymns have been translated by numerous Catholic priests—and frequently what they produce is outstanding.

If a Catholic priest has written an English translation for a Breviary hymn—one which is more beautiful, more accurate, and more theologically correct than a translation by a Protestant—why wouldn’t we choose that one? When the St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal is released, I feel that people will be blown away by how Catholic it is. Yet, the quality is extremely high. We never accepted anything just because it was written by a Catholic. What I’m saying is, we looked for the most excellent hymns, and (surprisingly!) the vast majority turned out to be Roman Catholic!

Did the Brébeuf committee have to search and search? Absolutely. Have we unearthed Catholic treasures we never dreamed of? You bet! Was it worth all the trouble? Oh, yes! Does it stand on the shoulders of books like the Adoremus hymnal? It does.

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 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

    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

“There’s a world of difference between a thoughtful, wise Catholic and a bitter contrarian. In spite of what is claimed on certain blogs, being addicted to cable news and twitter does not make one an intellectual.”

— Jeff Ostrowski

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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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