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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

Impressive New Hymnal for the Divine Office

Guest Author · October 2, 2013

358 Dominican This is a guest article by Br. Dominic Verner O.P.

FTER MANY YEARS of comparing manuscripts, compiling chants, and refining translations, the treasures of the Dominican chant tradition have at last been compiled into an impressive new hymnal for the Divine Office, the Dominican Hymnarium. For those interested in the recovery of Gregorian Chant and the realization of the Second Vatican Council Fathers’ desire that chant “be given pride of place in liturgical services” this is indeed an exciting milestone. The hymnal to be published by the Liturgical Commission of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph is now it its final stages of preparation and is only in need of a modest sum of funding to bring the project to completion. Benefactors who contribute $25 or more can receive a complimentary copy of the Dominican Hymnarium once it is published.

The Dominican chant tradition, a distinctive thread of the Gregorian chant tradition, remains unknown to many. The tradition finds its origins in St. Dominic himself, but it received a stable and decisive direction by Humbert of Romans, the fifth Master of the Order of Preachers. The Hymnarium’s introduction explains this rich history:

St. Dominic, who is well known for having sung hymns such as the Ave maris stella and the Veni creator as he walked throughout Europe, passed on to the Order of Preachers his love of singing the liturgy. One element of the early Dominican liturgy that was cultivated with great care was the repertoire of Latin hymnody sung at the various hours of the Divine Office. Through the diligent revisions of the Dominican liturgy that took place in the mid-thirteenth century under the direction of Humbert of Romans, the Order developed a selection of hymns that was used continuously from the time of Humbert through the twentieth century, unchanged but for the addition of hymns for new feasts.

The Dominican hymn repertoire is particularly remarkable for its sophisticated arrangement of melodies based on the rank of a feast, as well as for preserving the traditional texts of the hymns even after the promulgation of neo-classical versions in the seventeenth century. The melodies range in character from mere recitation tones elaborated with only a few notes to sustained cries of jubilation. The texts of the Proper of Time are concise and poetic presentations of the mysteries of the faith. and the texts of the Proper of Saints recall the great miracles and deeds of the saints in a memorable way. Through the concord of text and melody the singer encounters a veritable musical catechism that recalls salvation history and leads one more deeply into the rhythms and mysteries of the Church’s year. . . .

Sample recordings of each hymn melody can be found on the project’s website. Be sure to check out melody 45, which is reserved for feasts of Holy Father Dominic, and the haunting melody 56, from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary. All the recordings were made by friars of the Province of St. Joseph at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC.

Please consider lending a hand to help bring this project to completion. Online donations can be offered here: https://rally.org/hymnarium.

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

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“If I could only make the faithful sing the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei…that would be to me the finest triumph sacred music could have, for it is in really taking part in the liturgy that the faithful will preserve their devotion. I would take the Tantum Ergo, the Te Deum, and the Litanies sung by the people over any piece of polyphony.”

— ‘Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto, Letter to Msgr. Callegari (1897)’

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