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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

“Soft Source of Calm Tranquillity”: The Quiet Mass

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · April 24, 2014

EORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL is so well known for his multitudinous English oratorios and Italian operas that it can be hard to remember he was a native German-speaker for whom both of those languages were acquired in the course of a colorful, productive, and largely successful career. It is also surprising that he set to music very few German texts in his life. One lovely exception are the Nine German Arias (HWV 202-210), to which I have been recently listening. The text of the aria “Süße Stille, sanfte Quelle” (HWV 205), written by Barthold Heinrich Brocke in 1721, particularly caught my attention:

Sweet silence,
soft source of calm tranquility:
when after this time
of vain labor
I see in my mind’s eye
that rest which awaits us in eternity.

To me, this poem perfectly captures the feelings one often has at a quiet low Mass. And while I am admittedly an ardent advocate of the sung High Mass and the Solemn Mass, I also know from long and grateful experience how the low Mass (especially on weekdays) can be an oasis of spiritual rest in the midst of our labors, a foretaste of that eternal resting in God that we long for if we are awake and alert to His reality and our destiny.

At Wyoming Catholic College we have a calm, almost whispered early morning low Mass each Saturday. It is so still in the church that you are strangely aware of silent things like the sunlight pouring through the windows. You hear the birds singing around the church as the daylight grows. As the age-old and ageless dialogue of the priest and servers wafts over me, I feel my soul grow calm in the presence of the Lord: the “still, small voice” of God speaks to me through the sacred liturgy. I understand better what Dom Guéranger once wrote: “The Holy Spirit has made the liturgy the center of his working in men’s souls.”

The Novus Ordo almost never allows for this kind of experience. After decades of experiencing it in the best possible situations, with priests of unquestionable orthodoxy and piety, appropriate sacred music, and so forth, that profound tranquillity, simplicity, silence, and otherworldliness, so characteristic of the traditional Low Mass, has proved ever elusive. I think the main reason is that the Novus Ordo is often demanding that you DO something, SPEAK or MOVE or whatever; you are never left at peace for long. It’s like having a schoolmarm who is always there poking you awake from your daydream and demanding that you get back to your long division problems: no time to waste! We’ve got work to do!

We modern Westerners are so inured to (one might even say seduced by) activism, we sometimes end up losing in our feverish work the graces we could have obtained in peace of soul, “waiting on the Lord.” Perhaps what we need the most is to let ourselves simply “be” in the presence of the Lord, abiding with Him, breathing with His breath, watching for Him to show Himself in some small way that is nevertheless immensely precious. It’s very hard to express what I’m talking about to someone who has not experienced a truly prayerful Low Mass―and for those who have experienced it, no explanation is necessary.

Please visit THIS PAGE to learn more about Dr. Kwasniewski’s exciting new publication,
Sacred Choral Works, a 273-page collection of a cappella choir music for the Liturgy.

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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About Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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) 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
    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
    “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

    “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
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Luys de Villafranca, master of the altar boys—who are to be distinguished from the choirboys (“seises”) because they study only plainchant whereas the choirboys live with the chapelmaster and study polyphony and counterpoint as well—is rewarded on October 17 with a salary increase of 6,000 maravedís and an extra 12 bushels of wheat.

— Sevilla Cathedral: Chapter Resolution (7 September 1565)

Recent Posts

  • Why A “Fugue” Here?
  • “Three Reasons To Shun Bad Hymns” • Daniel B. Marshall
  • “Puzzling Comment” • By A Respected FSSP Priest
  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
  • “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)

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