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Views from the Choir Loft

Why The Vatican II Hymnal Is The Best Hymn Book Ever Of All Time!

Jeff Ostrowski · May 14, 2013

LL RIGHT, so maybe the title of this Blog post employs a bit of hyperbole. But let me explain where I’m coming from on this. I’m really excited. On Sunday, we sang Dr. Neale’s English translation of “Aeterne Rex altissime,” which is number 360 in the Vatican II Hymnal. In this hymnal, it is paired with a lovely tune called WAREHAM.

You probably know that all the scores for all 750 pages of the Vatican II Hymnal are available online for free. Here’s the hymn I mentioned:

      * *  Hymn Number 360

I specifically chose and paired this tune with several texts because it’s a great melody. What’s interesting is that for several years I worried about the ending. People may or may not be aware of the fact that melodies have rules which they (generally) must obey. Certain intervals, careful use of stepwise motion, and many other things come together to make a great melody. In a few instances in the Vatican II Hymnal, I actually altered sections of traditional hymns because I couldn’t stand the way they were written. I thought I would be excoriated for this, but so far only a handful of people have noticed the changes.

What am I talking about? Well, take the tune CORONATION. The “normal” beginning of this melody goes like this:

My composition teachers would say this melody “suffers from wanderitis.” To borrow a phrase from Dr. Peter Wagner, the melody is “an undigested mass which keeps on turning around the same note in a senseless way.” I mean, once you create a melody like that, where do you stop? Why not just continue, like so?

However, the rest of the tune is fantastic, wonderful, gorgeous. So, I did the unthinkable. (GASP!!!!) I made a slight melodic change:

      * *  Hymn Number 225

By the way, I fully expect to get “hate mail” for these kind of changes. People take hymns very seriously, and they don’t like them to be changed. Hopefully the hate mail will not depress me too much . . .

It turns out that I was actually following a venerable tradition by making this change. My friend, who has a Doctorate in hymnology, told me that all through the centuries, people made slight melodic changes to the hymn tunes, and they got better and better as time went on.

IN ANY EVENT, to get back to my earlier point, I was concerned about the ending phrase. There are some problems with the tune, objectively speaking. For instance, there’s an awful lot of stepwise motion, and (in the last three bars) a real lack of direction for the melody. One could argue it sounds predictable, forced, and uninspired.

But here’s the good news! When I played the hymn on Sunday, I realized the overall melody (and harmonies!) are so powerful and strong, the “weak points” end up not presenting a problem. Somehow, it just “works.” Perhaps it is similar to the Mona Lisa “smile.”

In any event, it’s a really beautiful hymn that almost brought me to tears. I know the title of this post uses hyperbole, but I sincerely do hope you’ll check out the Vatican II 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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

Quick Thoughts

    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

Random Quote

“I love them that love me: and they that in the morning early watch for me shall find me.”

— Proverbs 8

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