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Views from the Choir Loft

Basilica Music Academy

Fr. David Friel · June 30, 2013

HEN THE EXPLANATORY EMAIL ARRIVED the other day, I was very pleased. In the memo, the Office for Liturgical Music of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced its new “Basilica Music Academy,” basically a summer school for church musicians. This summer school, however, is not punitive, but voluntary, designed to further, broaden, and polish the parish musician’s skills. It will be based at our Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul.

What will they offer? The curriculum focuses mainly on voice and organ lessons, with the option for private or semi-private (two or three people) sessions. The emphasis of the vocal studies will be technique and sacred repertoire, both solo and choral. For organists, the instructors will focus on playing technique, service playing, improvisation, and repertoire.

The Basilica Music Academy is just the newest development in the music department of my home Archdiocese. There are several other recent improvements for which Dr. John Romeri, Fr. Dennis Gill, and our worship office staff should be highly commended. Begun in 2011, the “Concerts at the Cathedral” series has brought an impressive string of national and international artists to perform in our cathedral, which is a magnificent acoustical space. The Association of Church Musicians in Philadelphia (ACMP), which has existed for many years, has been gaining momentum and undergoing serious renewal that is benefiting its membership in extraordinary ways. Furthermore, Philadelphia has long sponsored an Archdiocesan Boys Choir, but we now boast also an Archdiocesan Girls Choir and an adult Archdiocesan Choir.

If you live in the Philadelphia area, or if you are simply interested, click here for a flyer with more information on the new Academy.

Good things are happening musically here. We still have a long way to go toward reintroducing chant to our parishes, but some foundations have been laid for a renewed appreciation for music that is truly sacred. Are similar things happening in other Dioceses?

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 Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“Many of those who have influenced the reform […] have no love, and no veneration of that which has been handed down to us. They begin by despising everything that is actually there.”

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)

Recent Posts

  • Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
  • Bishop François Charrière Vs. Hannibal Bugnini
  • 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “My First Year with the Latin Mass” • A Music Director’s Perspective
  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”

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