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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Josquin’s Beautiful “Missa Pange Lingua” In Minnesota

Guest Author · May 4, 2013

The following is a guest article by Sandra Eller.

AINT BENEDICT Catholic Church in Duluth, Minnesota, will be hosting a Solemn High Mass (traditional Latin Mass), celebrated by the parish pastor, Father Eric Hastings, for the Ascension on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. The choir will be singing the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei from Missa Pange Lingua by de Prez, a beautiful Mass we have done a few times in the past, in addition to Masses by Byrd and Victoria. The Duluth Men’s Schola will be singing the Gregorian propers.

The choir, which will have about a dozen voices, is comprised of members of my parish choir at St. Ben’s and members of the Duluth Men’s Schola, a group my husband founded several years ago and which is now directed by Kevin Pilon, who will also conduct the polyphony Thursday evening.


It will be our third Solemn High Mass, the first with both deacon and subdeacon from our diocese. It’s sort of the latest stage in an ongoing exploration of what’s possible in liturgy and particularly liturgical music in continuity with tradition, accompanied by a lot of catechesis from Father Hastings. Musically, things have grown from simple chants to more ornate Gregorian ordinaries and Gregorian propers and finally polyphony. We have also included new compositions inspired by the Church’s sacred music tradition, such as pieces by Kevin Allen and various projects of setting English translations of the propers to plainchant, something we use routinely. After the new translation of the Mass, the parish moved to the Adoremus hymnal, as well. The congregation is now fairly comfortable with singing the Gloria in Latin and a few other more ornate chant ordinaries.

The extraordinary form plays a relatively small role in parish life, celebrated Sunday afternoons twice a month and sometimes on special occasions like this one, ranging from low Masses to the full blown Solemn High Mass. Two of our regular weekend Masses, Father celebrates ad orientem.

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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President’s Corner

    2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
    Do you direct a choir consisting of women or children only? (Some call this a “treble” choir.) Download a two-voice arrangement of Creator of the Starry Height set to the tune of IOANNES by clicking here and then scrolling to the bottom. In our times, this hymn is normally used during ADVENT, and the Latin title is: Cónditor alme síderum. It’s important to say “cónditor”—placing the accent on the antepenult—because ‘condítor’ in Latin means “one who embalms the dead.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“It would be difficult to find a failure of imagination greater than that of Carl Czerny.”

— Robert Schumann

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