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Views from the Choir Loft

The Pius X Hymnal by Dr. Theodore Marier

Jeff Ostrowski · March 29, 2013

R. THEODORE MARIER is a man I highly revere. I first heard his name mentioned by my friend David Hughes more than a decade ago. I recently paid a lot of money to obtain one of his first major productions, long out of print, called The Pius X Hymnal (McLaughlin & Reilly Co., Boston, Mass., 1953). But I am sorry to admit it was a huge disappointment.

UPDATE:   The choir, organist & congregational versions can now be freely download here.

Readers will probably recall that I have often written about an inexcusable flaw of many early Catholic hymnals: viz. their failure to list the TUNE NAME. Since I have written about this so many times, in long articles that painstakingly explain all the reasons this defect is unpardonable, I will not “shoot my mouth off” here. Suffice it to say, Ted Marier does not list the TUNE NAMES in The Pius X Hymnal. So, for instance, when Dr. Marier uses the hymn tune STUTTGART, he neglects to list the name of the melody. Nor does he do so in the indices. Not good, my friends.

I am also unhappy with other things. The ranges seem to me, on occasion, to be placed way too high. The entire book seems to be a hodgepodge of polyphony, simple chants, complex chants, and congregational tunes. As Bill Watterson said in his Calvin and Hobbes Cartoon: “A good compromise leaves everybody unhappy.” In other words, seeking to please everybody, the results end up pleasing nobody. As an editor, I can attest that it’s quite easy to create a book with lots of stuff inside. However, creating a book containing only those things useful for a particular group (choir, organist, congregation, etc.) is a much harder task.

One last point (and this was also pointed out by many people who reviewed this book in the 1950s): so few congregational hymns were included in this book . . . and many of those included lack inspiration.

In conclusion, although I have tremendous respect for Dr. Theodore Marier, I expected a lot more from this book based on its “reputation.” I hope my honest observations do not offend anyone, but I’ve learned that pretty much everything I write will offend somebody so I guess I should get used to it.

      * *  Click here to learn more about the Campion Hymnal

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

    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
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Yet, with all its advantages, the new Missal was published as if it were a work put together by professors, not a phase in a continual growth process. Such a thing never happened before. It is absolutely contrary to the laws of liturgical growth, and it has resulted in the nonsensical notion that Trent and Pius V had “produced” a Missal four hundred years ago.

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (1986)

Recent Posts

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  • PDF Download • Belgian Book of Gregorian Accompaniments (Official Edition)
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