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Views from the Choir Loft

The Greatest Blog Entry Ever Of All Time

Jeff Ostrowski · November 8, 2012

RE YOU A PERSON who frequently reads Blogs? I bet you’ve been waiting for the “perfect” Blog entry to come along—the one you’ve been dreaming about all these years. Well, guess what? This is it, because I have something amazing to share with you. I hope you’ll take the time to read what I have to say, and I hope you enjoy what I share. I also really hope I can finish typing this Blog before my daughter wakes up (the poor thing hasn’t been feeling well and I need to help take care of her).

First, you need the back story. I will explain it the way they explained it to me in Musicology Graduate school: hopefully I remember all the details correctly. You might pull down the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians to “fact check” this entry. You see, most people don’t realize that Bach was actually a piano salesman toward the end of his life. In connection with this, he went to visit Frederick the Great of Prussia, who was also the employer of Bach’s son. Frederick was a musician, and wrote Bach an extremely complicated theme. He said to Bach, “I bet you can’t write a fugue on this theme!” Well, in case you don’t know, Johann Sebastian Bach was an astounding musical genius, one of the very greatest of all time. He took Frederick’s theme and wrote several unbelievable canonic variations on it called the “Musical Offering.”

Now for Part II of the story. Edwin Fischer was a phenomenal Swiss pianist who was particularly interested in the music of Bach. He arranged this “Musical Offering” for his chamber group and recorded it several times. At the conservatory where I studied piano, Sequeira Costa was an Artist in Residence. I was friends with most of his students, and one of them gave me a live recording of Edwin Fischer conducting his arrangement of part of the “Musical Offering.” By the way, Costa and Fischer toured together many years ago, playing four-hand music. I had heard the Fischer recording many times, and loved it, but I had never heard this particular “live” version before.

Here is an excerpt:  Excerpt of Live Recording / Edwin Fischer, Conductor [Mp3]

Listen to how it starts out very soft and slow. You can tell the fugue subject is quite complicated and chromatic. As you continue to listen, you will notice that Bach builds … builds … and builds. The culmination will melt your heart. It is tremendously beautiful and passionate: even after all these years, I start crying when I hear it. I feel tingles down my spine.

I hope to add more Blog entries as time goes on. There is so much unbelievable music I would love to talk about and share with you. By the way, I love music so much, I tend to use (abuse?) words like “favorite’: “best ever”; “most amazing”; etc.

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

    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
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —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

“In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man’s mind to God and to higher things.”

— Vatican II Council

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  • Now Available! • “Hymns of Cardinal Newman: Kevin Allen’s Legendary Choral Settings”
  • Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
  • (Rehearsal Clips) • Sacred Music Symposium 2025

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