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Views from the Choir Loft

Thousands of Gospel Acclamations for Organ & Voice

Guest Author · July 8, 2013

What follows is a guest article by Mæstro Jon Naples.

BACKGROUND:

Y PARISH had just adopted the Vatican II hymnal as of Advent 2011. By the following Advent I was sending organ scores to Corpus Christi Watershed for the Garnier Alleluia site. Having the new hymnal provided our church with a unique asset as it is now the only book in our pews instead of the need for supplemental books and worship aids, etc. For the organist, cantor, and choir, the musical scores to the propers chants, responsorial psalms, mass parts, and hymns are just a few clicks away for easy download.

However, at that time I could not find published organ accompaniments for many of the Alleluia tunes found in the front of the book, including the Alleluia in honor of Father Chastellain which we use on Sunday. To that I had no choice but to start composing the organ parts to play on Sunday. Of course, a new verse tune had to be newly made for the cantor each week too.

Later, during the Colloquium of 2012 in Salt Lake City, I was surprised to discover that many of the downloadable scores, and even the varied versions of the new hymnal itself, were very recently composed and edited by so few people, mainly Mr. Jeff Ostrowski, the chief editor, and several other talented people who are working like mad to keep up the supply for a never-ending demand for new scores. Eventually I was offered the opportunity to help with a number of the Garnier tunes. Contributing scores gifted me with an opportunity to help out while it provided an outlet for my favorite hobby: music composition and arranging.


FOREGROUND:

N THE ARRANGEMENTS THEMSELVES, chant-like without time signatures, I try to provide a concise three or four-part accompaniment that works on the organ and keyboard through conventional part writing. The independent lines of music forming the harmony potentially makes them adaptable for an SAT, or SATB choir should such an option ever be desired. Although I do compose the verse tones, I am not the composer of most of the Alleluia tunes themselves. As I mentioned, they were in the front of the hymnal before I got to them.

For the verse tones, I first select and retain a few stock reciting tone formulas, and then add to, or “bend” them forming melodies to accommodate the differing texts each week towards what I would assert to be music’s vital function here: illuminate the gospel text through melody with enough musical friction to fire up the final Alleluia refrain. I am loathe to give a non-directive or tepid sounding musical setting of gospel text. For me, the art in music has always been that it can incise the listener’s understanding unawares, and drive home the message to move the heart as well as the mind. (As simple and brief as these settings are).

A sample may be found here:

      * *  Gospel Acclamation for 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time


THE REQUEST:

LTHOUGH I HAVE CONTRIBUTED NOW 500+ scores (many 1000’s of downloads), it is only now becoming clear that what lies ahead is to complete the three-year cycle. Therefore, if at all possible, please post feedback (specifics if possible) about my settings on the Garnier Alleluia downloads site so that I can try and retain what is working and discard or revise or at least not repeat what does not work. Such as, why the Alleluia in Honor of Father Martin Lawrence Jenco has not been used, to my knowledge at all, while other Alleluias I arrange seem to be in constant use. They include the Alleluias in honor of Frs. Bressani, Le Caron, Dablon, Chastellain, Vimont, Lalemant, Chaumonot, and Jenco.

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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Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The Pope is not an absolute monarch whose thoughts and desires are law. On the contrary: the Pope’s ministry is a guarantee of obedience to Christ and to his Word. He must not proclaim his own ideas, but rather constantly bind himself and the Church to obedience to God’s Word, in the face of every attempt to adapt it or water it down, and every form of opportunism.”

— ‘His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI (11 May 2005)’

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