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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download: Standard Catholic Hymnal (1921)

Jeff Ostrowski · January 15, 2015

*  Brébeuf Hymnal • “What People Are Saying”
(Testimonials from Catholics in the pews.)

*  Brébeuf Hymnal • “What Experts Are Saying”
(Testimonials from authorities on Sacred Music.)

449 Standard Catholic Hymnal HE RARE HYMNALS we have been releasing all have one thing in common: None were available as a PDF download before we scanned & posted them. They’re absolutely fascinating from a historical perspective, and we’re searching through them to find any “hidden gems” for the forthcoming Brébeuf Hymnal. Here’s one compiled, edited, and arranged by James A. Reilly in 1921:

      * *  PDF: Standard Catholic Hymnal (1921)

Published by McLaughlin & Reilly (“Publishers of Catholic Church Music Exclusively”), it bears a 1921 Imprimatur by William Cardinal O’Connell, who had published his own hymnal in 1915. It’s no accident that the very first hymn in Reilly’s book is by Cardinal O’Connell.

Much could be said about this book, but for now I’ll mention just one thing. I was intrigued by the note written underneath John Henry Cardinal Newman’s hymn (#130):

This hymn is not approved by church music commissions in some dioceses due to its association with Protestant Services.

I hope you enjoy perusing this book as much as I did, friends!

P.S.

In the Brébeuf Hymnal, I hope something can be done with the amazing hymn A SOLIS ORTUS CARDINE and its 2nd part, CRUDELIS HERODES. This poem is so beautiful, yet so few Catholics know anything about it.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Hymnbooks, Roman Catholic Hymnals, Standard Catholic Hymnal James Reilly 1921 Last Updated: July 1, 2021

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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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“In older times we referred to humans as the human race, but according to this foundation we are being classed with the animals on the farm, the cow, the horse, the mule […] According to this foundation, I have no right to be born, for I am the youngest of 16 children, and God bless my mother for every one of them!”

— Archbishop Schrembs (d. 1945) vs. a foundation promoting artificial contraception

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