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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

Important Resources for Liturgical Reform (4 of 7)

Jeff Ostrowski · August 11, 2014

965 Gregorian HOULD CHURCH MUSIC be fun? I think so, but only recently realized this. A few months ago, I was alone in a room with a keyboard, waiting for my ride to arrive. The only book there was my collection of Chabanel Psalms. In case you don’t know, I usually detest my compositions after they’re published. (My friends who compose admit the same thing, so hopefully I’m not crazy.)

I began to play through some of my pieces. “Wow,” I thought, “this one isn’t horrible after all.” A while later, I was saying, “Hey, I actually kind of like this one.” As time went on, I realized that many of my psalm settings were really nice, and I was having fun singing through them. Then, I got worried.

“This is Church music. Is it supposed to be fun?”

YES, SINGING CHURCH MUSIC should be fun, although “fun” isn’t the best word. Singing the Psalms should be A DELIGHT. From what I can tell, the Church has always placed a great value on “keeping things interesting” at Mass. After all, we’re only human. So, the delightful melodies, the stained glass windows, the incense, and the entire liturgy ought to help us pray. As I mentioned in this article, variety helps prevent our minds from wandering. In the early centuries of the Church, the variety of antiphons and psalm tones helped the monks memorize the different Psalms—and there were tons of them! Nevertheless, the Church documents 1 have always stressed that everything done at the liturgy must be dignified.

You might like some of my psalm settings. You can download the entire collection here:

      * *  Saint Noël Chabanel Responsorial Psalms — 607 pages

You can also purchase bound books at that link (for a very reasonable price), but why purchase hard copies when you have the PDF file? I recommend doing so for the following reasons:

(a) it’s cheaper than printing on your own;

(b) bound books with beautiful covers are nice;

(c) you should obtain these while you can, because the future is unpredictable—even in the best of times!

NOW, LET ME TELL YOU about a truly marvelous collection you need to obtain. This collection of organ interludes for manuals only was composed by Dom Gregory Murray, and you can read the Preface by clicking here.

These pieces are TREMENDOUS.   Here’s a sample score:

      * *  100 Easy, Beautiful Organ Interludes for Manuals Only — Dom Gregory Murray

Here’s where you can purchase the complete collection:

      * *  Purchase this collection — from SheetMusicPlus

You won’t regret purchasing these!

Once upon a time, Watershed was going to look into publishing these, since many were written in the 1930s. However, this seems unlikely at this point. For one thing, I’ve been extremely ill since April, and this has made life quite difficult. That’s why I said above: “The future is unpredictable.”


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



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Several significant quotes are given during this exuberant video.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Dom Gregory Murray 100 Organ Interludes, Free Responsorial Psalms Organ Vocalist Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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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President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 29th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 19 October 2025, which is the 29th 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 sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Liturgical Round (“Canon”) in C-Major
    Those who direct children’s choirs are always on the lookout for repertoire that’s dignified, inspired, and pleasing—yet still within reach of young choristers. Such directors will want to investigate this haunting liturgical round (PDF download) which has been married to the KYRIE from Mass VI (EDITIO VATICANA). I have provided an accompaniment, but it’s only for use during rehearsal; i.e. when teaching this round to your choristers. I also provided an organ accompaniment for the KYRIE—which some know by its trope (Kyrie Rex Genitor)—so that your congregation can take part when this round is used as a choral extension during Mass.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    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’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

Random Quote

What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.

— Pope Benedict XVI, Letter accompanying “Summorum Pontificum” (7/7/07)

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  • Liturgical Round (“Canon”) in C-Major
  • PDF Download • Liturgical Round (“Canon”) for your Children’s Choir

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