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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

Concerning Proofreading And Capitalization

Jeff Ostrowski · October 23, 2013

300 kyrie Click to enlarge image HE SAINT Edmund Campion Missal and Hymnal took more than a year to proofread, and no effort was spared with regard to typesetting. Most of the priests who helped us offer the Extraordinary Form on a daily basis, and a few have done this since the 1950s. So we had good people … and they would often “challenge” the editor (yours truly) about minor details like capitalization, punctuation, and especially hyphenation.

Every time I would receive their comments for this thousand-page book, I’d have to go searching and hunting for evidence supporting my choices. You probably know that some editors (happily, nobody who assisted our proofing) believe in their hearts there is only one “correct” way … usually the way they learned in a grad school course. As a matter of fact, there are often several valid ways, and staying consistent is what’s important.

Normally, one does not use accents “inside the rubrics,” in other words, when one refers to a prayer, like the Kyrie Eleyson. However, in certain sections of my book, I did just that, for good reasons I cannot explain at the moment. One of the really smart editors told me he’d never seen this, so I went to find supporting evidence for my choices … and I couldn’t find any. However, I knew I’d seen this done.

To make a long story short, several months later, I was able to locate some really high quality books (printed by the Vatican) which use accents “inside the rubrics,” as you can see by clicking the example on the upper right. Solesmes does, too, even placing an unnecessary accent on a two syllable word (“Pátri”) :

160 ital

301 Capital Click to enlarge image I REMEMBER ONE PROOFREADER (who, unfortunately, had to be dismissed eventually) went crazy over the fact that Gregorian chant editions capitalize only the first letter after the Drop Cap. I said again and again, “This is the way it’s always been done in the Solesmes books.” However, this person simply couldn’t or wouldn’t accept my answer. However, Solesmes is perfectly correct when they use this technique. At this moment, I can’t explain the reasons for doing this (they’re good ones), but click on the image on the right to see a Missal from 1777 which uses the same technique as Solesmes.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Extraordinary Form 1962 Missal 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 22nd in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 31 August 2025, which is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“Gerard Manley Hopkins once argued that most people drank more liquids than they really needed and bet that he could go without drinking for a week. He persisted until his tongue was black and he collapsed at drill.”

— A biography of Fr. Gerard M. Hopkins (d. 1889)

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