Views from the Choir Loft

1923 Gastoué Treatise on Gregorian Accompaniment

Corpus Christi Watershed · March 19, 2013

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* * 1923 Amédée Gastoué Treatise on Gregorian Accompaniment (PDF)

• Traité d’Harmonisation du Chant Grégorien sur un plan nouveau • Author: Amédée Gastoué, Commandeur de St-Grégoire-le-Grand, Consulteur de la Commission Pontificale Grégorienne, Professeur de Chant liturgique à la Schola Cantorum et à l’Institut Catholique de Paris • 1923? : : Copyright 1910 : : Letter of Recommendation 1923 • 125+ pages • Publication: JANIN FRÈRES, Éditeurs • Lyon, 10, Rue Président-Carnot • Déposé selon les traités internationaux. • Propriété pour tous pays. • Tous droits d’exécution, de traduction, de reproduction et d’arrangements réservés. • Copyright by Janin Frères, 1910. • Gastoué has a 1923 letter from the Vatican commending his work, and claims to draw on the help of people like “Al. Guilmant, MM. V. d’Indy, Th. Dubois, Eug. Gigout, de La Tombelle, Maurice Emmanuel, etc.” •

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

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

“Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)

I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.

—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