Views from the Choir Loft

Two Upcoming Lectures on Sacred Art

Corpus Christi Watershed · November 11, 2013

Click to enlarge image NJOY SOME of the most enchanting paintings from art history on Sunday, November 24th at 12:30PM in the church basement of Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Church in Newton, MA. Gwyneth Holston, Catholic artist and Corpus Christi Watershed blogger, will be giving a lecture on the story behind sacred art from the Gothic era through the Pre-Raphaelite. Each work discussed will have a link to the Advent season and the traditional feast days for the month of December.

Some of the featured works include:

The Last Judgment by Hans Memling

The Immaculate Conception by Tiepolo

The Portinari Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes

FORMING THE ARTIST — An evening with David Clayton

The Catholic Artists Society and the Thomistic Institute in New York invite you to this third event in The Art of the Beautiful series. Internationally known artist, writer, teacher and broadcaster, David Clayton will speak on the formation of artists. The lecture will be held at the Catholic Center at NYU on November 16th at 7:30PM

Mr. Clayton is Artist-in-Residence and lecturer at Thomas More College in NH. He wrote, produced and presented the 13-part TV series, The Way of Beauty (2011). His writing appears in many publications and websites, including his popular blog:

* * The Way Of Beauty • A Wonderful Blog by David Clayton

The lecture will be followed by a reception and sung Compline, the nighttime prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. Admission is free but space is limited. We encourage you to arrive early to get a seat!

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

Organ Accompaniment • “Kyrie IV”

Fans of Gregorian Chant may wish to download the organ accompaniment (PDF file) I created for KYRIE IV a.k.a. Cunctipotens genitor Deus. It adheres to the official rhythm and was inspired by Flor Peeters (a famous Belgian organist and composer who studied with Oscar De Puydt at the LEMMENSINSTITUUT).

—Jeff Ostrowski

Which Gospel Acclamations?

Some have asked which Gospel acclamations (“Alleluia”) we use at my church. We use this gorgeous printed resource available on AMAZON PRIME. Once both congregation and cantor have sung their parts, our choir launches into a beautiful SATB “choral extension” (cf. Saint Noël Chabanel Mass Setting).

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Entrance Chant” • Immaculate Conception

Download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the Immaculate Conception (9 December 2024). It’s in the third mode—which some consider the most beautiful of all—and mimics the authentic version in a laudable way. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, I attempted to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.

—Jeff Ostrowski

The Breviary in the Life of the Laity

Recently I have been enjoying looking through the inaugural (1927) edition of a 20th-century liturgical magazine called Orate Fratres. The July 1927 issue included an excellent article by a Chicago laywoman named Ellen Gates Starr entitled “The Delights of the Breviary: From the Point of View of a Lay Woman.” As we in the 21st century have recently undergone a (blessed!) re-translation of the missal into English, and as we await with joyful hope (please God, before Jesus comes back!) a similar re-translation of the breviary, the opening of her article reminded me of that old saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Nearly a hundred years ago, she penned words that could just as easily have been written today: “It is indeed a privilege to be allowed any participation, however slight, in the liturgical movement in the Church – the movement to bring back the classics of devotion, the Missal and the Breviary, into general use by the laity. The wonder is that they should ever have fallen into disuse. Nothing can take the place of these great universal prayers of the Church, the prayers of the Mass and the divine Office. One has only to know them to find them indispensable. And alas, how few of the laity know them!” I know that I have been tremendously nourished by regular praying of the breviary as of late, and my wish is that you and I, dear reader, may continue to nourish our interior lives with the official prayer of the Church, which present to us (in the Mass) and extend (in the Office) the fullness of Christ’s greatest gift to us – the gift of Himself – in the Most Holy Eucharist.

—Daniel Tucker

Principles vs Preferences

I ran into this idea recently: principles vs. preferences in planning out a curriculum or music lineup. In this idea, it is imperative to not misconstrue personal preferences into principles—that the music (or subject matter) is great because: “I have good taste, and I like it.” De gustibus… Education, study and docility to the Magisterium of the Church on matters of liturgical music must be present in those who make the music at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Hours. Who knows? Maybe you might start to prefer the music that is fitting according to the principles Catholic Sacred Music?

—William J. Fritz

Liquescent Notes in the Official Edition

The official edition—the EDITIO VATICANA itself—is somewhat inconsistent when it comes to liquescent notes. If you wish to see a perfect “apples-to-apples” comparison, click here. Such “inconsistency” was not owing to ignorance on the part of Abbat Pothier: the manuscripts themselves are inconsistent when it comes to liquescent notes.

—Jeff Ostrowski