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Views from the Choir Loft

Important Resources for Liturgical Reform (2 of 7)

Veronica Brandt · August 9, 2014

Brandt children with hymnbooks TOPIC LIKE THIS has me procrastinating like crazy. I am so underqualified here!

But, then again, the majority of Catholics concerned about Church Music are underqualified, like myself. I’d say only a very tiny fraction are Directors of Music, and even those are often held back by the default view that music be accessible and modern.

Much of the prevailing advice is directed to those in charge, be they choir directors or priests. It certainly does help if these people encourage good music, but if this isn’t happening then do not despair.

Another line of attack is to introduce Church Music in the home. Schools are another great place, if you have the chance. There may be less resistance, less political opposition and a chance to learn and grow.

When I was about 18, the opportunity arose to attend a Latin Mass. The choir sang beautifully, but it would bug me that I had no idea what they were singing.

A New Book of Old HymnsAbout the same time I found a program to type up Gregorian chant. I was typing up music for an after school catechism class. After a few hymns, I decided to collect them together, and so A New Book Of Old Hymns was begun.

It is ten years ago now since the first edition. Over the years it has been refined bit by bit. Illustrations have been added. Any gaps have been filled with extra hymns.

I began the book with a prayer for the Pope – first Pope St John Paul II, then Pope Benedict XVI. Now I need to update to Pope Francis! While I am working on the update, if you have any other suggestions, the comments box is open.

When I mentioned this topic to my husband, he suggested Soft Catholic Mass Quiet Toys. That pretty much sums up our contribution to good liturgy – we do what we can to keep the peace in the back pew.

A ball of yarn is another handy resource – possibilities for very clean, quiet mess.


7-part series:   “Important Resources for Liturgical Reform”

FIRST PART • Richard Clark

SECOND PART • Veronica Brandt

THIRD PART • Fr. David Friel

FOURTH PART • Jeff Ostrowski

FIFTH PART • Jon Naples

SIXTH PART • Andrew Motyka

SEVENTH PART • Peter Kwasniewski

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 Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

Can You Spare 33 Seconds?

Here’s an audio excerpt (33 seconds) of a setting for Kyrie VIII which was recorded live last Sunday at our parish in Los Angeles. The setting (“Missa de Angelis”) is by composer Richard Rice, and you can download the free PDF if you click here and scroll to the bottom. I think Richard’s composition is marvelous. I missed a few notes on the organ, but I’ll get them right next time.

—Jeff Ostrowski
5 April 2021 • When Girls Sing

Covid restrictions here in California are still extremely severe—switching “two weeks to flatten the curve” into “two years to flatten the curve.” Since 2020, we’ve had police breaking into our church to check if everyone is wearing a mask…even when only 5-6 people are present! But we were allowed to have a small percentage of our singers back on Easter Sunday, and here is their live recording of the ancient Catholic hymn for Eastertide: Ad Cenam Agni Providi. The girls were so very excited to sing again—you can hear it in their voices!

—Jeff Ostrowski
29 March 2021 • FEEDBACK

“E.S.” in North Dakota writes: “I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all the hard work you have put—and continue to put—into your wonderful website. In the past two years, my parish has moved from a little house basement into a brand new church and gone from a few families receiving Low Masses twice a month to several families (and many individuals) receiving Mass every Sunday, two Saturdays a month, and every Holy Day. Our priest has been incorporating more and more High Masses and various ceremonies into our lives, which has made my job as a huge newbie choir master very trying and complicated. CCWatershed has been an invaluable resource in helping me get on my feet and know what to do!!! Thank you more than I can express! May God bless you abundantly and assist you in your work and daily lives!”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Indeed, we may not hope for real Latin poetry any more, because Latin is now a dead language to all of us. However well a man may read, write, or even speak Latin now, it is always a foreign language to him, acquired artificially. It is no one’s mother tongue. Does a man ever write real poetry in an acquired language?”

— Rev’d Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923)

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