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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

Basic Steps To Improve Music At Your Parish — Part 6

Jeff Ostrowski · July 20, 2014

243 Sacred IRST, YOU MUST UNDERSTAND what Pope Benedict XVI meant when he talked about an “Unbelievably Big Kite.” Wait, isn’t that what UNBELIEBIGKEIT means?

Just kidding: Unbeliebigkeit means “unspontaneity,” but that’s an odd word, so I’ve replaced it with “lack of spontaneity” :

THE AUTHORITY OF THE POPE is not unlimited. It is at the service of Sacred Tradition. Still less is any kind of general “freedom” of manufacture, degenerating into spontaneous improvisation, compatible with the essence of faith and liturgy. The greatness of the liturgy depends—we shall have to repeat this frequently—on its lack of spontaneity.
— Pope Benedict XVI, The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2000): 166.


Believe it or not, Unbeliebigkeit is a positive thing! Without repeating what I’ve already said, the basic idea is that we should walk into Church knowing what to expect. We should know when we pray the Psalm, when we sing the Gloria, when the cantor sings such-and-such, when we join in the Refrain, and so on. We don’t have to worry about novelties and “surprises.” We know exactly what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. We know it’s not a performance. We have a basic understanding of what it means to pray the Scriptures at Mass: in other words, we’re not confused when we recite or sing excerpts of the Bible.

The opposite of Unbeliebigkeit is obvious. To give an example, there’s a Church in my city which features a full rock band on Sundays (with drums!), including a young singer who wears his hair long and has his hands in his pockets throughout Mass. After Communion, he “croons” a solo which has some vague connection to Religion (but is never the text assigned by the Church). Then, everyone applauds. While attending such liturgies, I ask myself: “What is this? What is happening right now? Is this some kind of concert?”


ECOND, to achieve Unbeliebigkeit, you must scrupulously adhere to a plan which was carefully formulated. I’ve spoken in the past about this here and here, but perhaps you don’t have time to read those articles, so here’s the cheat sheet:

      * *  PDF Download: “Cheat Sheet” — Example of a Catholic Mass Plan

The basic idea is that there must be variety, but not too much variety. I sometimes call it the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST MODEL. This classic Disney movie has a brilliant musical plan, at times recycling old themes and at other times introducing new melodies. Going far beyond the concept of leitmotif, it considers the entire event, asking the question, “At what times would the human brain welcome new melodies, and at what times does it require familiar tunes?”


HIRD, your vision must be clearly communicated to your priest. In my opinion, musicians cannot accomplish anything at all without priests who support them. Don’t be vague: be very specific. Show him your written-out plan, saying, “Father, each week we’ll employ simple-yet-dignified settings of the Responsorial Psalm that sound like this one.”   1

One possible model for the Gospel Acclamation would be to use no more than four (4) melodies. The first Sunday of the month will always have Tune A, the second will always have Tune B, and so forth. Click here for a complete book with one such melody. 2

Do the same with all the other parts of the Mass, like the Mass ordinaries. Choose only quality hymns, and don’t use too many. Send an Email to Mr. Edmund Murray and ask him for a recording of how the hymns sound at Atonement, or some other Church which understands how wonderful hymn-singing can be when only quality melodies are chosen.

If Watershed ever hosts some kind of symposium or colloquium, I won’t allow any musicians to attend unless they bring their parish priests with them. That may sound crazy, but I just don’t see how we can make any progress on the liturgical front without the support of our priests.


OURTH, be sensitive to the fact that good Catholics have been fed utter garbage for many decades. It might be difficult for them to understand why “we” desire to eliminate songs which they’ve enjoyed for years. They might not immediately understand that songs can be beautiful and emotional, yet are not suitable for liturgical use. My friends, these are really good people, and many are 100x holier than I’ll ever be … so proceed with care.


IFTH, realize that a handful of Catholics in the pews are jerks, and will stop at nothing to undermine you and make your life miserable. Trust me: sooner or later, you’re going to end up crying like a baby. I wish I could tell you that everybody in your parish “really does have a good heart” … but how can I help you if I lie to you?


IXTH, I would suggest prayer: and I’m not talking about two Hail Mary’s and one Glory Be. I have in mind some kind of prayer like this one:

      * *  PDF Download: A Church Musician’s Prayer — Jeff Ostrowski (2014)

I just composed that one today, and I’m not saying it’s perfect. (Maybe Fr. David Friel can look it over and make sure there’s no heresy!) But I like that prayer because it talks about SOUND involved with Pentecost and the Miracle of Luigi Comollo (Don Bosco’s friend). The basic idea is throwing yourself before God, and asking His assistance, which I think is very important.


7-part series:   “Basic Steps To Improve Music At Your Parish”

FIRST PART • Andrew Motyka

SECOND PART • Peter Kwasniewski

THIRD PART • Richard Clark

FOURTH PART • Veronica Brandt

FIFTH PART • Fr. David Friel

SIXTH PART • Jeff Ostrowski

SEVENTH PART • Aurelio Porfiri



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   An entire book of Responsorial Psalms you might consider can be downloaded here.

2   Of course there are many others as well.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Basic Steps To Improve Parish Music, Disney Beauty And The Beast, Simple Steps To Improve Parish Music Last Updated: March 1, 2025

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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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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’ with regard to 1960s switch to 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
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —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

«In the same quarter where he was crucified there was a garden.» (John 19:41) — The word “garden” hinted at Eden and the fall of man, as it also suggested through its flowers in the springtime the Resurrection from the dead.

— Fulton J. Sheen

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