Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for November 2014

Richard J. Clark · November 7, 2014

Can’t sing? Sing the dialogues!

Reverence, prayer, and internal participation increased through this act of external participation.

Jeff Ostrowski · November 6, 2014

Those Selfless Ordinary Form Priests

Yesterday evening—on his day off, after another Mass he’d offered—I observed an OF priest saying the 1962 Missal in his private chapel.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · November 6, 2014

How Liberalism Undermines Itself

Freedom for all sounds nice in theory, but how does it work in practice?

Andrew R. Motyka · November 5, 2014

Prepared to Receive: the Importance of Disposition

Warm-ups and reverent liturgy.

Jeff Ostrowski · November 4, 2014

Fr. Christopher Smith Weighs In

“Why am I excited? Well, every year we spend about $4,000 on those paperback missalettes…”

Jeff Ostrowski · November 3, 2014

The Most Disturbing Change To The 1962 Missal

We’re not as smart as we’d thought … and our forefathers weren’t as dumb as we’d assumed.

fsspla · November 2, 2014

FSSP Los Angeles • What Is The Table?

This beautiful video explains a “safe place” for Catholics in Los Angeles.

Jeff Ostrowski · November 2, 2014

Announcement: Solemn High Requiem In Los Angeles On Monday

Traditional Latin Mass at a cemetery in Los Angeles: TOMORROW.

Fr. David Friel · November 2, 2014

Wakes in Church & Funerals at the Parlor

A Dramatic Reversal

Veronica Brandt · November 1, 2014

All Saints celebrations

An All Saints Day party with a major digression on Halloween and All Souls Day.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

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