Views from the Choir Loft

Free PDF Download: Complete Gospel Acclamations (172 pages) • Couture & Quentin

Corpus Christi Watershed · July 29, 2014

ANY CATHOLIC MUSICIANS have been downloading Gospel Acclamations each week from this website, which contains free musical settings by Jeff Ostrowski, Jon Naples, Royce Nickel, Aristotle Esguerra, Aurelio Porfiri, and many others.

Lulu is now making these scores available in book format. This is the second book, which has totally different melodies than the first book released a few weeks ago.

Hard copies are here:

* * Organist Book (172 pages) — $22.95

* * Vocalist Book (172 pages) — $15.95

The PDF Download is here:

* * PDF Download — Complete Gospel Acclamations (172-pages)

Save money with this Lulu Coupon—but notice the expiration date.

For your congregational “Order of Worship,” this might help :

Gregorian Notation (Image) • Modern Notation (Image)

They correspond perfectly with an exciting new publication for Catholics in the pews.

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

14 June 2021 • “From Rehearsal…”

One of our choristers recorded this audio excerpt from a recent rehearsal we had. I know there are certain people on the internet who claim that “proper voice leading & harmonies died with Bach in 1750AD…anything goes these days.” But I could not disagree more with such an assertion. The proper rules of harmony and counterpoint make incredible music—and I would suggest that tiny excerpt (from our volunteer choir rehearsal) shows this reality.

—Jeff Ostrowski

3 June 2021 • Re: “Mass of the Angels”

In the past, we have provided thirteen organ accompaniments to Mass VIII (a.k.a. “Missa de Angelis”). Some versions of the KYRIALE use the melody from Sanctus VIII for Agnus VIII also. Dr. Peter Wagner’s 1903 edition of the KYRIALE does this, as we mentioned earlier this month. Please sing through Sanctus VIII and then sing O Quam Suavis Est from the feast of Corpus Christi. Do you hear it?

—Jeff Ostrowski

1 June 2021 • Unsure of Author

The editors of this 1667AD Missale Romanum weren’t sure who wrote the VEXILLA REGIS hymn, so they wrote this in the margin. (To be fair, the original text by Bishop Fortunatus was greatly altered under Pope Urban VIII.)

—Jeff Ostrowski