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Views from the Choir Loft

A Short Piece We’re Singing For Lent

Jeff Ostrowski · March 19, 2019

ANY WILL FIND IT UNFAIR that our parish was chosen—along with others—to sing bits and pieces from the Brébeuf Hymnal “harmony edition” for several years. But what I can affirm is that such testing efforts are absolutely essential for a massive and unprecedented project like the Brébeuf Hymnal. Believe me, nobody is more eager for the harmony edition to become publicly available than I am—and very soon it will appear. When it finally does (within the next few weeks) we will be glad it was given a “trial run” first.

For Lent, we’ve been singing this STABAT MATER:

    * *  PDF • STABAT MATER based on Brébeuf Harmonies

Somebody took out a “pocket recorder” during Mass last Sunday, and sent me the video. The sound quality does not accurately reproduce the glorious sounds we heard:


You can rehearse the individual lines if you scroll down to #480 … but most readers won’t do that, which causes me deep sadness.

85176 Beuron Abbey PEAKING OF DEEP SADNESS, I have experienced some recently…because of my impatience. There is so much that needs to happen, but nothing can move forward until the harmony edition is released. It should be released over the next few weeks, according to the letter posted here. Folks, you have no idea what it takes to publish a book! The proofreading goes on for ages. The entire process is unbelievably complex and labor-intensive.

Once the harmony edition becomes available, we can begin to release instructions for how to properly use the Brébeuf Hymnal. Some have tried to pressure the Institute to release the Brébeuf indices online, but this suggestion has been met with resistance. Certain members feel that releasing the index won’t really give people an idea of this book, because our hymnal is quite unique. I do see their point. I have examined so many hymnal indices online, and it’s usually just the same pieces over and over, with a few modifications. With these other hymnals, I can basically look at the index for 20 seconds and instantly know what’s in the book—but the Brébeuf isn’t like that. Our book is completely unique, utterly sensational, and must be experienced.

Oh, just wait until we start releasing the seasonal guides! (Again, this will be done as soon as the harmony edition is released.) These guides will be of great assistance to those trying to figure out the structure of the Brébeuf Hymnal, which is completely sui generis. The guides for Advent and Lent will be especially marvelous, and Catholic choirmasters will welcome these.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the smartest Catholic priests alive. He had purchased a copy of the Brébeuf but wanted to know more. We talked for an hour yet barely scratched the surface, in terms of all the wonderful things about the hymnal. Afterward, the priest said: “I’m so glad you explained all this because I had been puzzled by certain features of this book.” If someone as brilliant as this priest—and he’s literally a genius—was struggling to understand, that means we need to provide a whole lot more materials to explain what this book is all about. And we will do so…after the harmony edition is released.

Just the other day, I was reflecting on how difficult it is to direct a choir. The choirmaster must always be thinking about the future! We must constantly plan ahead: for rehearsal, for the liturgical seasons, for “major” liturgies, and so on. Moreover, what is the level of difficulty for a piece? Does it require organ? What arrangement is best? What key? How can we obtain enough scores? Can it be used for an entire season or just one Mass? Will all the “right” singers be present to make sure it can be done? Will it be in English or Latin? And on and on. And that’s where the Brébeuf comes in: its contents are truly staggering…but it can’t help people if they’re confused!

THE CHALLENGES AND OBSTACLES for those who direct choirs often seem too great to overcome. But there are consolations! One such consolation happened for me the other day. I had finished directing a long and rigorous rehearsal—and once it ended, I went into a room only to discover our choir members could not get enough singing! So they launched into their favorite pieces from memory, and I pulled out my iPhone:


Click here to download the piece in the video—a breathtaking SATB SANCTUS by J.S. Bach.

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

    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
    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

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

“We decided to entrust this work to learned men of our selection. They very carefully collated all their work with the ancient codices in Our Vatican Library and with reliable, preserved or emended codices from elsewhere. Besides this, these men consulted the works of ancient and approved authors concerning the same sacred rites; and thus they have restored the Missal itself to the original form and rite of the holy Fathers.”

— ‘Pope St. Pius V (Quo Primum, 1570)’

Recent Posts

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  • Bishop François Charrière Vs. Hannibal Bugnini
  • 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “My First Year with the Latin Mass” • A Music Director’s Perspective
  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”

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