PDF Download: Hymn Book By Sisters Of Notre Dame (1907)

Jeff Ostrowski · January 20, 2015

ELOW you can download a PDF file containing the SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN BOOK compiled by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1907. The “O Salutaris Hostia” is the same version I learned as a child. The “Adeste Fideles” has a funky attribution. It seems to me that many of the accompaniments were meant for piano:

* * Sunday School Hymn Book (1907)

By the way, look at the text on page 61 they set to “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.” And look at some of the chromaticism…

These rare books are being released in preparation for the 2018 release of the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal, because sometimes “gems” are hidden in them. More information about that new hymnal will be released soon. We hope you’ll consider sending us YOUR suggestions for beautiful, dignified hymns.

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).

22 October 2021 • “Sad & Unnecessary”

The USCCB has completely deleted a section of their website which (before they deleted it) contained helpful resources for the classical Roman Rite. Something cool they had included (before they deleted it) was a link to the new prefaces, approved by Pope Francis on 25 March 2020. Will this madness never end?

—Jeff Ostrowski

11 October 2021 • “Sing All Verses?”

Some claim Catholics deserve condemnation because (unlike Protestants) Catholics often omit verses when singing hymns at Mass. Is that true? The wonderful Sophia Institute Press—as part of a series on authentic sacred music—has provided an answer (PDF) to this question.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Where do Catholics find hymns?

The wonderful Sophia Institute Press has begun a “Q+A” section which tackles common liturgical questions, and here’s a sample: “At a conference I recently attended, the speaker said hymns don’t belong at Mass; was he telling the truth?” And you can read the answer. To access the complete set (which is a work in progress), scroll towards the bottom of this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

On 12 March 1908, Feast of St. Gregory the Great, the complete publication of the “Graduale” was issued by the Vatican Press. That very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement “pro aliquibus locis”—the Introit of the new Feast of Our lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.

— A witness of the papal audience writing circa 1915

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About Jeff Ostrowski