Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download: “Laudate Hymnal” (1942) … An Exceptionally Rare Book!

Jeff Ostrowski · January 21, 2015

E HAVE BEEN posting a lot of rare hymnals lately, in preparation for the Brébeuf Hymnal. This one, however—the famous Laudate Hymnal—is a real find, for both the Ordinary & Extraordinary Forms.

We give the 1950 edition, because (in that edition) they added the names of the authors and composers. Believe it or not, it was never the custom for early Catholic hymnals to include items we now consider absolutely essential, such as the tune names & meters. I’m told the Mediator Dei Hymnal was among the first to remedy this unbelievable situation.

This 274-page file is very large:

* * PDF • Laudate Hymnal & Choir Book (1942)

Dr. Horst Buchholz, Vice-President of the Church Music Association of America, recently made this comment on the CCW Facebook page:

Another vernacular hymnal in my humble collection is the beautiful “Laudate” Hymnal from 1942, which was commissioned by Bishop Paul Schulte for the Diocese of Leavenworth, KS [now the Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS]. The hymnal replaced an older (vernacular) hymnbook by Fr. Hohe, and the musical settings are by Fr. Herman Koch, and Fr. Andrew Green, OSB. Definitely worth a look!

You’ll see Dr. Buchholz was 100% correct when you read the Foreword.

We’ve also made available the Complete Proper Of The Mass, With Organ Accompaniment—published by the same authors in 1946.

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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Music Director Job • $80,000 per year

Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!

—Jeff Ostrowski

Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published

Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.

—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