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Views from the Choir Loft

Why On Earth Would Anyone Do This?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 2, 2014

308 John 23 Y FRIENDS KNOW that I prefer Mass to be either entirely in Latin or entirely in English, for reasons having to do with aesthetics. However, I was involved with the production of the Jogues Illuminated Missal (for the Ordinary Form) which contains a lot of Latin.

Does that make me a hypocrite? No, for two reasons: one obvious, the other less obvious.

IRST, the obvious one. The Second Vatican Council ordered a mixture of Latin & Vernacular. The secretary of the Consilium (among many others) made this crystal clear in a succinct statement. Therefore, whether I personally believe Latin & English should be mixed is irrelevant: the Vatican Council has spoken.

You’ll want to read the words of Msgr. Overath about the verb “servetur” on page 18. By the way, on pages 22-24, Overath specifically cites statements by USA dioceses that are so flagrantly opposed to Vatican II they’ll knock you off your feet!

ECOND, the less obvious reason. Even if Latin is not used, it’s essential to at least provide the original Latin prayer, which goes back so many centuries. Consider this:

      * *  Sample Page (PDF) — taken from the Jogues Illuminated Missal

Did you notice how the Latin “grounds” us, even if the prayers are sung in English? After all, American Catholics have been subjected to so many different translations over the years it’s become confusing. The authentic Latin is essential, if only for reference purposes. Maybe that’s why the Vatican demanded that the official Latin always be printed alongside the English.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Annibale Bugnini Reform Last Updated: October 10, 2021

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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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Quick Thoughts

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Many of those who have influenced the reform […] have no love, and no veneration of that which has been handed down to us. They begin by despising everything that is actually there.”

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)

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