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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

PDF Download • Palestrina “Gloria” w/ practice videos!

Jeff Ostrowski · May 23, 2019

HOSE REGISTERED for Symposium 2019 should have received an email this morning containing practice videos for all the music. Some who participate sight-read music perfectly—and such people don’t need the practice videos. But some do appreciate the videos, which make rehearsals more fruitful. This is especially true because the Symposium is always jam-packed with various sessions and presentations. (We have always been careful not to fall into a very common “trap” at similar conferences: where rehearsals are prioritized to the exclusion of everything else.)

The following will help participants learn the Gloria:

    * *  PDF Download • Palestrina “GLORIA” (6 pages)

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 LabeledI
SOPRANO : YouTube   •   Mp3 LabeledI
ALTO : YouTube   •   Mp3 LabeledI
TENOR : YouTube   •   Mp3 LabeledI
BASS : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled


Have you registered yet?

Only a few spots remain as of 23 May 2019.

Apply for Sacred Music Symposium 2019.

88027 sperabo NE REASON people come back to the Symposium year after year has to do with repertoire selection. Rather than choosing only the “standard warhorses”—pieces which are sung over and over and over—we bring to light masterpieces that have been overlooked. It’s breathtaking to recall pieces known today only because our Symposium discovered them. Examples include Guerrero’s Beata Mater Mass, Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel’s Pater Noster, Guerrero’s Missa Iste Sanctus, and so many more. These are not inferior pieces. Indeed, I don’t know a setting more powerful than those two by Guerrero—and I am dead serious. This year, the conference is focused on hymnody.

Palestrina’s Mass can be called by several different names:

    * *  PDF • EXPLANATION: Palestrina’s Title and Cantus Firmus

Incredibly, nobody has ever created a naming system for Gregorian tunes. (A musicology student should really make this into a dissertation!) Metrical hymns have a “flawed” naming system. It’s flawed because sometimes there are numerous names for the same tune: e.g. HALTON HOLGATE is also called SHARON and JERSEY and BOYCE. The opposite problem is also true; e.g. WALTHAM refers to one melody in Hymns Ancient and Modern (#324), a totally different melody in the New English Hymnal, and a totally different one in the Episcopal 1940 Hymnal (#259).

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download 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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Sprinkling Rite”
    Liturgical reformers who gained power after Vatican II frequently caused great suffering to musicians. With the stroke of a pen, they sometimes make changes that would require thousands—or even millions—of man hours (work undertaken by composers and editors). The Sprinkling Rite during Eastertide is but one tiny example. The version given in that PDF document was the original melody for Roman Missal, Third Edition. Some still prefer that version. However, at the last moment, an “unknown hand” tinkered with a few notes in the antiphon. Those who examine the current edition can verify this with their own eyes.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    ‘Sarum’ Good Friday?
    Plainsong of the Roman Rite has many variants—i.e. slight ‘variations’ or ‘alterations’ made to the ancient melodies. Variants often thrive in particular religious orders. Likewise, before Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, Gregorian Chant variants were frequently associated with individual cathedrals in England: Hereford, Lincoln, Salisbury, and so forth. In the early 20th century, the (Anglican) organist at Westminster Abbey married “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” to this beautiful variant melody from England. Those who sing Gregorian Chant on Good Friday will recognize the melody. What do you think of this pairing?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Eb Organ Postlude”
    Gustav Adolf Merkel (d. 1885) was a German organist, teacher, and composer. Although a Lutheran himself, he held the appointment at the (Roman Catholic) Cathedral of Dresden from 1864 until his death. You can download his Organ Postlude in E-Flat, which I like very much. He has an interesting way of marking the pedal notes. What do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Gregorian Chant Quiz” • 24 March 2026
    How well do you know your Gregorian hymns? Do you recognize the tune inserted into the bass line on this score? For many years, we sang the entire Mass in Gregorian chant—and I mean everything. As a result, it would be difficult to find a Gregorian hymn I don’t recognize instantly. Only decades later did I realize (with sadness) that this skill cannot be ‘monetized’… This particular melody is used for a very famous Gregorian hymn, printed in the LIBER USUALIS. Do you recognize it? Send me an email with the correct words, and I promise to tell everybody I meet about your prowess!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)
    I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”
    For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“You should try to eat their food in the way they prepare it, although it may be dirty, half-cooked, and very tasteless. As to the other numerous things which may be unpleasant, they must be endured for the love of God, without saying anything or appearing to notice them.”

— Fr. Paul Le Jeune (1637)

Recent Posts

  • PDF Download • “Sprinkling Rite”
  • ‘Sarum’ Good Friday?
  • Gregorian Chant • The “Correct” Way of Singing ?
  • PDF Download • “Eb Organ Postlude”
  • Fulton J. Sheen • “24-Hour Catechism”

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