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Views from the Choir Loft

Msgr. Richard Schuler and the Piccoluomini

Jeff Ostrowski · March 18, 2013

EADERS will most likely recall what I have spoken about so often in the past: viz. the phenomenon of “notice a rare word and see it within 24 hours.” I promised myself I would never post about this again, lest the readers become bored, but I couldn’t help myself. Here’s how it happened:

Yesterday, I was on the phone with an old friend who happened to bring up Pope Pius II. So, keep “Pope Pius II” in mind as you read. Earlier in the day, I had emailed that same friend, trying to recall the specific word Msgr. Schuler used for “little people,” but had not received an answer at that point.

It will be remembered that following the Second Vatican Council a great number of unqualified people arose who (sadly) made major decisions for the Church and the Liturgy which holy men and women are still trying to rectify (even after all these years!). These were labeled by Schuler as “little people.” But I couldn’t remember the term because I am the world’s worst speller and have the world’s worst memory.

Sure enough, a few hours after the phone call, I happened to be searching the internet and I came upon the biography of Pope Pius II. What was his name before becoming pope? It was “Piccolomini.” That is the exact word Msgr. Schuler used for “little people” in his articles, although occasionally he used an alternate spelling: “piccoluomini.” If you don’t believe my claim that Pius II’s name was Piccolomini, you can look at the second paragraph here [url]. Now, what are the odds of that?

To read my other articles on this phenomenon, Google search: “Learn a new word, see it within 24 hours.”

P.S.

My wife, Cynthia, and I call our children “little people.” I have decided I don’t want our kids to ever grow up. I want to keep them as “little people.” I want to keep them as “piccoluomini.” Please email me if you have found a way we can keep our children small, just like the picture you see in the upper right hand corner.

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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

When you consider that the greatest hymns ever written—the plainchant hymns—are pushing the age of eight hundred and that the noble chorale hymn tunes of Bach date from the early eighteenth century, then what is the significance of the word “old” applied to “Mother at Thy Feet Is Kneeling”? Most of the old St. Basil hymns date from the Victorian era, particularly the 1870s and 1880s.

— Paul Hume (1956)

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