Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for December 2012

Jeff Ostrowski · December 30, 2012

Introduction To “Views From The Choir Loft”

We are excited to announce a new Blog dedicated to Sacred Music & Liturgy!

Fr. David Friel · December 24, 2012

Midnight Mass

A Timeless Tradition

Jeff Ostrowski · December 24, 2012

Biography • Jeffrey M. Ostrowski

Jeff holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas . . .

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · December 22, 2012

Reason and Mystery

Let us not abandon the heart of the mind and the mind of the heart.

Aurelio Porfiri · December 22, 2012

Aurelio Porfiri

Aurelio is renowned as a conductor, theorist, organist, author …

Dr. Lucas Tappan · December 21, 2012

Biography • Dr. Lucas Tappan

Lucas founded the Most Pure Heart of Mary Schola in 2011…

Fr. David Friel · December 21, 2012

What Jesus Looked Like

An Idea

Cynthia Ostrowski · December 20, 2012

Latin Mass In The Pantheon (Rome)

Many people might not realize the Pantheon has been a Catholic Church for centuries.

Fr. David Friel · December 18, 2012

The Antidote to Violence

Welcoming the Child

Cynthia Ostrowski · December 14, 2012

How To Purchase More Than One Book On LULU

This is a video with many tips on how to use LULU.

Fr. David Friel · December 14, 2012

Advent vs. the Saints

Can We Have a Truce?

Fr. David Friel · December 8, 2012

The Hope of Sinners

Mary Immaculate

Jeff Ostrowski · December 6, 2012

He’s At It Again . . . And Again.

Perhaps the reader is wondering why I keep saying the same thing over and over again . . .

Fr. David Friel · December 2, 2012

The Worth of Waiting

Of Advent & Strawberry Festivals

Music Director Job • $80,000 per year

Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!

—Jeff Ostrowski

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

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