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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

Hymnal of St Pius X

Veronica Brandt · March 15, 2014

Hymnal of St Pius X Dr Percy Jones’ Hymnal of St Pius X. LD AUSTRALIAN HYMNBOOKS are rather hard to find. I’m in awe of how many cheap old hymnbooks are available in America. We don’t seem to have the same volume of print runs here. I wrote a little while ago about the Living Parish Hymnbook from the 1960s, but today I have an earlier book in a similar vein.

Dr Percy Jones, choirmaster of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, put together this hymnbook back in 1952. To quote from the foreword:

This Hymnal has been compiled and edited to make it possible to carry out the expressed wishes of the Church that congregational singing should be a constant ‘living proof of the Faith,’ whether in large cities or in small villages. In the first section, containing the Gregorian Chant for sung Masses, Benediction and other occasions, an attempt has been made to solve the difficulty of reading the notation peculiar to the Chant. By retaining the Chant notation (with modifications which clarify certain obscure groupings) but using the modern staff and key signature, the Editor hopes that the advantages of both will encourage singers and choir directors to undertake Gregorian Chant.

Above is an example of Dr Jones’ hybrid chant notation. Groups of ascending notes, like the podatus, are spread out horizontally to remove any doubt as to which note is sung first. The porrectus is changed into something like an inverted torculus. I do not have a copy of this book aimed at the congregation, but it is available at the National Library of Australia in screen resolution colour.

I bought a copy of the organ book in a thrift shop some years ago. I recognised the music from photocopies from around our piano at home. Then I found a worthy cause to donate it to, but scanned it first. It was one of my first attempts at scanning a book. In frustration I left the files to languish on a hard drive. Today I was moving files over into a new computer and had another look. They are still better for printing than those of the National Library of Australia, so I finished the job and now you can have a copy too:

      * *  Download the organ edition here.

Page 120 (hymn number 43, page 106 by the printed page numbers, ) has a hymn to St Patrick suitable for singing outside the Emerald Isle:

Patrick! from your kindling
      Lit on Slane’s green hill,
Faith’s pure fire undwindling,
      Burns, all deathless, still.
Drear days could not hinder
      Warm expanse of flame:
Travail gave new tinder,
      New flint, penal shame.

Patrick! from this firing
      Faith’s brave banners unfurled,
Borne by priests desiring,
      For Christ’s sake, the world;
Hearts throbbed to their warming,
      Hope glowed where they trod,
Exiles’ loss transforming,
      To great gain for God.

Patrick! from this glowing,
      Faith’s flame mounts and towers,
Knowledge full bestowing,
      Eire’s feast is ours!
Hear us then rejoicing,
      Rising young and strong:
Gratefully glad-voicing
      Prayerful praise in song.

(Australia’s Salute to St Patrick by George D. Walton)

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymnbooks Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). 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 feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

Like all other liturgical functions, like offices and ranks in the Church, indeed like everything else in the world, the religious service that we call the Mass existed long before it had a special technical name.

— Rev. Adrian Fortescue (1912)

Recent Posts

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  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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