Views from the Choir Loft

Latin Mass Training Videos (FSSP/EWTN)

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 30, 2013 ·

How to say Mass in the Extraordinary Form:
1 of 20 • Preparation of the Altar
2 of 20 • Vesting in the Sacristy
3 of 20 • Chapter 3: Procession & Arrival at the Altar
4 of 20 • Chapter 4: Prayers at the Foot of the Altar
5 of 20 • Chapter 5: The Introit
6 of 20 • Chapter 6: Kyrie & Gloria
7 of 20 • Chapter 7: The Collect & Epistle
8 of 20 • Chapter 8: The Gospel & Creed
9 of 20 • Chapter 9: The Offertory (Part I)
10 of 20 • Chapter 10: Offertory (Part II)
11 of 20 • Chapter 11: The Preface
12 of 20 • Chapter 12: The Canon (Part I)
13 of 20 • Chapter 13: The Consecration
14 of 20 • Chapter 14: The Canon (Part II)
15 of 20 • Chapter 15: The Pater Noster & Fractio
16 of 20 • Chapter 16: The Communion of the Priest
17 of 20 • Chapter 17: The Ablutions
18 of 20 • Chapter 18: The Postcommunion & Final Blessing
19 of 20 • Chapter 19: The Last Gospel & Leonine Prayers
20 of 20 • Chapter 20: The Recession & Unvesting

Preliminary Videos
Introduction • Fr. John Berg, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Summorum Pontificum • Reflections by Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos
Introduction • Fr. Calvin Goodwin, FSSP

Additional Videos
Latin Polyphony • Motets for three voices
Variations when celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass
Principles of Movement and Gesture in the Liturgy
Spiritual Commentary • 40 minutes long • Fr. Calvin Goodwin
FSSP Video Trailer (High Resolution) • (Low Resolution)

Training Videos Produced by the Vatican (Low Mass)
English Introduction • Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos
Part I • Sections 1-3
Part II • Sections 4-5
Part III • Section 6
Part IV • Sections 7-9
Part V • Sections 10-11

Mass with Deacon & Subdeacon
Solemn High Latin Mass • 1941, Our Lady of Sorrows • Narration by Fulton J. Sheen

Longer versions of the FSSP YouTube Videos (above)
1 of 3 • 30 minutes long • Chapters 1-8
2 of 3 • 30 minutes long • Chapters 9-14
3 of 3 • 24 minutes long • Chapters 15-20

Click here to learn more.

Could Pope St. Pius X Sing?

“On 12 March 1908, the complete publication of the Roman Gradual was issued by the Vatican Press. On that very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. A witness of the audience says that Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement pro aliquibus locis—it was the Introit of the new Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.” (Catholic Choirmaster, February 1915)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Julius Bas Accompaniment

A very prolific harmonizer of Gregorian chant in the early 20th century was Mr. Julius Bas. He often uses a very strange technique, wherein he employs rests to eliminate the Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Consider what he did with “Lumen ad revelationem” here:

* JPEG • Lumen ad revelationem

It seems quite lazy, and I’ve never seen anyone else use such a technique, although Dr. Peter Wagner often switched to parallel octaves when he ran out of ideas… (Yuck!)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Hitting wrong notes

Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, used to say: “The organist can play 1,000 correct notes and one wrong note—and the only thing people will care about is the wrong note.” Last Sunday I hit some wrong notes, and felt bad. Then I remembered a story about Rudolf Serkin and started to chuckle. Charles Rosen (or was it Leon Fleisher?) told the story of Serkin playing a Beethoven Sonata in front of a large audience. The theme is all in octaves; but Serkin hit some wrong notes, and played parallel 7ths instead. This so unnerved him that every time the theme returned, he played the entire thing in parallel 7ths! We must remember that even the greatest hit wrong notes. Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Sviatoslav Richter, Egon Petri—they all hit wrong notes, which we can hear on recordings. (Josef Hofmann was an exception, but he was super-human so he doesn’t count!)

—Jeff Ostrowski