Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download: Hymns of the Dominican Missal & Breviary • Fr. Aquinas Byrnes (1943)

Jeff Ostrowski · December 17, 2014

ERY SOON, details will be provided concerning an exciting Catholic project: The St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal. I have been named primary editor, but will require your help to complete this task. As part of the process, we’ve been releasing extremely rare hymnals, and the one below is no exception. (Sometimes, beautiful gems are hidden in these old hymnals, and we have MANY MORE to release.)

* * PDF Download: Aquinas Byrnes «HYMNS of the DOMINICAN BREVIARY» (1943)

Many of our readers appreciate the hymn book by Fr. Matthew Britt. Others are familiar with “Pange Lingua” by Alan McDougall & Fr. Adrian Fortescue. This hymn book by Fr. Byrnes is very similar to both, since it contains literal translations, poetic translations, descriptions of the authors, explanations of the meters, and much more!

Several years after we scanned and uploaded this book, Google also scanned it.

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

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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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