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Views from the Choir Loft

The G.I.R.M. Mentions “Hymnus” Only Once …

Jeff Ostrowski · December 3, 2013

964 Lecti MENTIONED IN A 2012 ARTICLE that the official, Latin version of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) uses the word “hymnus” just once. Please correct me in the combox if I’m wrong.

How ironic! As I pointed out, that spot after Communion is the absolute best place to sing a congregational hymn with all the verses. Yet, many parishes don’t seem to realize this … although many are discovering it.

If you want to read my 2012 article, click here.   However, I much prefer this more recent article.

MY 2012 ARTICLE WAS REJECTED for publication by HPR, and I mused on this in a blog post. Some people thought I was criticizing HPR for not publishing my article … but that wasn’t my intent.

That fact is, the article was probably too technical. “Liturgy talk” puts a lot of Catholics to sleep. Then, when you start throwing in stuff like “musical style,” Church documents, and melodic characteristics, it’s hopeless. The subject is just too technical, by it’s very nature, especially in an age where many folks listen exclusively to “beat music” on the radio and may have never heard a polyphonic motet performed well. The subject is also intensely personal: e.g. if a priest in the 1970s allowed a song by the Beatles, an emotional memory is formed, and the suggestion that secular songs be eschewed at Mass might hurt someone’s feelings. (For the record, it works both ways: I have incredibly emotional memories of singing the Pange Lingua as a child on Holy Thursday, etc.)

When it comes to liturgy and sacred music, it’s extremely difficult to make even a short (accurate) statement without spending hours explaining context, noting exceptions, defining one’s terms, and so forth.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymns Replacing Propers 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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

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. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —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

“For me, religious music ceased with the sixteenth century. The fresh, childlike souls of that time alone expressed their vehement, untainted fervor in music free from worldliness. Since then we have had pious musical improvisations more or less made for show. That wonderful man Johann Sebastian Bach only escaped because of his natural genius. He built harmonic edifices as a devout architect and not as an apostle.”

— Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

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