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Views from the Choir Loft

What the Ordinary Form Could Be: The Vienna Oratory

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · June 5, 2014

HE INTERNATIONAL Theological Institute 1 in Trumau, Austria, invited me to give an intensive course this past May on the theology of sacred music. On the Sunday that fell within my visit, a dear friend of mine took me into Vienna to attend Mass at the Oratorian parish of St.-Rochus und Sebastian. My friend had assured me that the experience would be worth it―and he was quite right.

The Oratorians in Vienna worship in a lovely Austrian Baroque church, which, I was happy to see, features a well-executed portrait of Blessed John Henry Newman.

Although the Oratorians vary a great deal from country to country, many Oratories in England and America have acquired a deserved reputation for the beauty and reverence of their public worship. The Oratory in Vienna was no different. Their Sunday celebration reminded me of something I do tend to forget, namely, the heights to which the Ordinary Form can rise when, as it were, the planets are properly aligned―when the clergy, animated by a deep knowledge of and respect for ecclesiastical tradition, are unequivocally committed to the hermeneutic of continuity, and, following from this commitment, when all the fine arts, from the architecture to the vestments and vessels to (above all) the sacred music, are worthy of their exalted function.

Thus, I was thrilled when Mass began with the Gregorian Introit, which was complemented later by the Gregorian Alleluia after the first reading, the Paschal Alleluia after the second, and the Offertory antiphon, all sung extremely well, in a manner that was conducive to prayer. As Dr. William Mahrt (among others) has demonstrated, each of the Gregorian antiphons serves a specific liturgical function, to which the words and music are perfectly attuned, and I found that to be really obvious when I had the luxury of being down in the congregation listening rather than up in the choir loft directing, which is my usual lot (not that I’m complaining!).

But the thing that delighted me the most, from a ceremonial point of view, was the magnificent five-part polyphonic Mass, the Missa doulce memoire by Cyprian de Rore (1515–1565), sung by the choir of the house, the Capella San Filippo. The soaring Kyrie and triumphant Gloria could not have been better suited for the joy of Paschaltide, and as my ears drank in their beauty, my soul rested in the Lord. It was quite as the Byzantine prayer says: “Now set aside all earthly cares…” The music helped me to step out of the mad world for a moment and give myself to God, who is my only rest and my eternal home.

THERE WERE SOME INTERESTING THINGS I noticed. Because of its great length, the Sanctus was split, with the Benedictus sung after the Consecration, with the people still kneeling and the priest standing at attention before the Sacratissimum. When the choir had finished, the priest intoned the “Mysterium fidei” and all made the response “Mortem tuam.” It seemed a serviceable, though perhaps not rubrically accurate, solution to one particular challenge with the polyphonic Masses of yore. Again, when the time for the Agnus Dei arrived, the choir and people together chanted a Gregorian setting; the choir then sang the polyphonic Agnus Dei while communion was being distributed. I had heard of this practical approach to the choral Agnus Dei but had never encountered it “in the field,” so it was good to experience it as a successful (and of course permissible) solution to the problem of utilizing the beauty of a lengthy choral setting within a form of the Mass that is generally ill-suited for expansive sacred music.

The congregation sang the dialogues and made the responses without fuss. Credo III was sung with gusto by every man, woman, and child. And although the church was crowded with faithful of all ages, there was an astonishing silence at the Canon, hardly disturbed by the priest, who prayed sotto voce. All of which bespeaks a true participatio actuosa of the kind envisioned by Vatican II. To round everything out, there was a fine use of the pipe organ, the monarch of church instruments.

MIDST ALL THIS NOBILITY, there were a few things that seemed discordant. The readings were merely recited instead of being sung, and that made for an odd contrast with the sung Ordinary and Propers, since the readings have quite as much dignity as they have. Similarly, in keeping with what has become an unspoken rule, the General Intercessions were read out instead of being sung―a practice that has the effect of lowering the general tone of a solemn Mass, as if one has just got to make it through this list of petitions in order to move on to the real business of worship. The moment one sings the petitions, they are utterly transformed into a formal liturgical act of communal supplication. Lastly, and most strangely, the Communion antiphon was simply omitted. There would have been time to sing it at least once. It was as if the family of Gregorian antiphons had lost a brother or a sister.

But these are minor points in what was a most resplendent celebration of the modern Roman Rite, and one that powerfully moved me to the four great acts of prayer: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication. I thank the Lord that He reminded me, at St.-Rochus, of how great an abyss separates the ruptured celebration of the Novus Ordo from its celebration in continuity with tradition. I know that, even in the best of circumstances, there are massive internal differences between the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms, and nothing I say should be construed as downplaying those differences. Still, if the Oratorian model had been followed everywhere and by all, could anyone seriously maintain that the crisis in the Church and in her liturgy would look as it does today?

Someone once observed how strange it is that Christians spend so little of their time in this world practicing for what they will be doing forever in heaven: worshiping the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Cyprian de Rore and the Capella San Filippo helped me to do just that; may the Lord reward them. I could not suppress an occasional melancholy thought as I realized how few Austrians would be attending Mass that morning, although nearly all of them are baptized, and, of those few, how very few would be assisting at a Mass this beautiful, reverent, and solemn, so deeply centered on the mystery of Christ our God.

Friends, now is the acceptable time. In celebrations according to the Ordinary Form, let us do all that we can to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, in the fullness of faith, with tradition as our model and guide. We may confidently take as our pattern the faithful disciples of St. Philip Neri.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   For the International Theological Institute’s website, click here.

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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    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
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    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
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    “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.
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Random Quote

“Every experienced choirmaster’s work is founded on the following three axioms: (1) Few boys have a really good natural voice; (2) No boy is able to control his voice and produce good tone without training; (3) Most boys have a good ear, and considerable imitative capacity. It is on the last of these axioms that the choirmaster must begin his work.”

— Sir Richard Runciman Terry (1912)

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