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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

Why I No Longer Compose

Jeff Ostrowski · August 28, 2014

914 Naive ROM TIME TO TIME, friends inquire why I no longer compose substantial vocal works. When I say “substantial,” I mean lengthy pieces for advanced choirs.

Once upon a time, I did write such pieces, and they were occasionally performed by serious ensembles (e.g. the Philadelphia Singers). There are actually a number of reasons I could give, but one is preëminent: I realized I cannot compete on the level of the true masters.

Yet, it’s always fun to discover early works. I recently came across an SATB version of the Veni Creator Spiritus, written for one of my composition classes. Some fellow students recorded it with me:

      * *  Veni Creator Spiritus — Jeff Ostrowski (early 2000s)

The piece certainly leaves a lot to be desired, but I have a confession to make. I actually enjoy the section midway through, starting at “Imple superna gratia.”

THE TRUE MASTERS OF THE PAST are known to all serious musicians: Morales, Victoria, Marenzio, Bach, and so on. With regard to the present, there are still true masters among us. Kevin Allen & Melanie Hadley Lina come immediately to mind.

Anton Rubinstein once said to the young Josef Hofmann: 1

            “Let those who wish to play on my level do so … if they can.”

To the masters living today, I say: “If you can survive in such an environment … do so.”   However, I don’t see myself joining that club anytime soon because—as I’ve already explained—there’s too much I lack.

I struggle mightily to comprehend the exceedingly transitory nature of our modern lives. “Here today, gone tomorrow” seems to describe perfectly the ephemeral world of 2014. When I observe our beautiful children, I realize that God is, indeed, the True Artist.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Hofmann was possibly the world’s greatest child prodigy, up there with Felix Mendelssohn & Camille Saint-Saëns.   Speaking of Hofmann, I find this 2008 exam—from one of my high school students—extremely interesting!   Do you see why I say this?

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Josef Hofmann Pianist Extraordinaire 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). 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 the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“There are no hymns, in this sense, till the fourth century; they were not admitted to the Roman office till the twelfth. No Eastern rite to this day knows this kind of hymn. Indeed, in our Roman rite we still have the archaic offices of the last days of Holy Week and of the Easter octave, which—just because they are archaic—have no hymns.”

— Adrian Fortescue (25 March 1916)

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