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Views from the Choir Loft

Important Resources for Liturgical Reform (5 of 7)

Guest Author · August 12, 2014

EVERAL MONTHS AGO, VCL readers may recall, I posted about my work, the Simple English Choral Propers which uses the offertories from the “Simple English Propers” by Adam Bartlett (unaltered) as cantus firmi. The aim of these pieces: parish choirs of all sizes and skill levels who desire chant-based polyphony for their offertory Mass propers. They also propose a good stepping stone for the beginning choir to approach polyphony.

The strong response to my earlier post introducing these pieces shows 1) the enduring quality of the SEP themselves, 2) a desire on the part of parish choirs to choose a chant-based polyphonic setting of the offertory propers, 3) parish choirs preferring to eliminate the necessity of a second offertory song after a ‘compulsory’ propers chant exposition – as I have witnessed several parish choirs do since embracing the propers chants, and 4) the attractiveness of psalm tones proclaimed in choral harmony.

In the not too far off future, the entire cycle will be posted and a complete book will be available. At present, I am introducing a limited selection of the pieces that they may continue to get the ball rolling for parish choirs who find the SEP attractive and wish to explore more deeply the chant’s harmonic and rhythmic implications.

      * *  Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary — Free PDF

      * *  20th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Free PDF

      * *  23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time — Free PDF

      * *  28th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Free PDF

      * *  33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time — Free PDF

      * *  Christ the King Sunday — Free PDF

      * *  1st Sunday of Advent — Free PDF

      * *  2nd Sunday of Advent — Free PDF

      * *  3rd Sunday of Advent — Free PDF

      * *  4th Sunday of Advent — Free PDF

      * *  Christmas (vigil) — Free PDF

      * *  Christmas (midnight mass) — Free PDF

      * *  Christmas (daytime mass) — Free PDF

      * *  Epiphany — Free PDF

Assumed is a basic knowledge of the Simple English Propers as these pieces follow the same modus operandi. For those unfamiliar with SEP, they may want to look at this practical guide. A tutorial on SE Choral versions may be found here.


We hope you enjoyed this guest post by Jon Naples.



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 Tagged With: Simple English Mass Propers Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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

“Unfortunately, on the one hand a deadly error in judgment placed the official leadership of this committee into the hands of a man who—though generous and brave—was not very knowledgeable: Cardinal Lercaro. He was utterly incapable of resisting the maneuvers of the mealy-mouthed scoundrel that the Neapolitan Vincentian, Bugnini, a man as bereft of culture as he was of basic honesty, soon revealed himself to be.”

— ‘Fr. Louis Bouyer, an important member of the Consilium’

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