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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Innocuous But Uninspired Music At Mass?

Jeff Ostrowski · January 28, 2015

407 NPM OMETIMES PEOPLE who think they’re brilliant try to “reinvent everything” but end up proving themselves foolish. Peter Wagner’s disciple, Joseph Gogniat, was an enemy of the singing at Solesmes and published an entire book opposing Mocquereau’s theories. He even convinced Cardinal Pacelli—who would be elected Pius XII a few months later—to endorse it. To replace the classical Solesmes method, however, he invented his own system of notation which, as you can see, was even more confusing!

One of the leading postconciliar composers was Carey Landry. When I worked in the Ordinary Form, my boss frequently forced me to play Landry’s songs at Mass (and some are well crafted). To this day, many of his compositions are sold by Oregon Catholic Press. Many faithful Catholics were horrified when they first heard this type of music 1 being sung at Mass:

      * *  Audio Excerpt • by Carey Landry (Oregon Catholic Press)

When I was little, I remember singing some of these same songs at Mass (although I refused to do the hand gestures), and OCP still sells several I recall.

OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES, faithful priests have eliminated much of what was done in the ’70s and ’80s, but many “contemporary” composers have produced new music that—while not offensive—strikes me as uninspired. In particular, I’ve noticed this with the billions of musical settings produced for MR3. Maybe a quick “live” recording from an actual Mass will illustrate what I’m getting at:

      * *  “Live” Recording At Mass • Innocuous But Uninspired Kyrie Eleison

In the years immediately following the Council, some insisted upon Mass Ordinaries in the vernacular no matter what they sounded like. (I hope to post some of these in the coming months.) One Gloria I saw printed on a 1960s Mass Card uses the tune from “Soul of my Savior” over and over, almost like a warped isorhythmic motet. People seemed determined to create something “new”—similar to Joseph Gogniat—but forgot that music has been developing for centuries. They should have immersed themselves in the masterpieces of the past as a prerequisite to composing music for God’s house.

Gregorian composers had an extremely sophisticated way of setting music. Our ears don’t easily tire of their compositions, though the melodies are often simple. Those unfamiliar with the Gregorian style often complain that notes are placed on the “wrong” syllables, but their arguments are invalid. The Gregorian composers knew very well what they were about:

405 Fourteenth Cent. hymnus


The Renaissance masters also took advantage of what had been learned about music through the ages. Their compositions do not obscure the text, but elevate it in a sophisticated manner, overlapping phrase after phrase. How different this is from the extremely predictable approach of so many of today’s composers, where each phrase is separated like a baby who’s learning “Goo goo gah gah.”

In essence, we’re on the right track, and progress is being made. Eventually (perhaps) we’ll reach the same level of musical sophistication Catholics had a millenium ago! It reminds me of a coffee mug I saw years ago. Showing a circular track, it said: “I’m so far behind, I think I’m ahead.”



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   This is often done in the name of “stylistic diversity of all the various contemporary cultures.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

Quick Thoughts

    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

Random Quote

The local church should be conscious that church worship is not really the same as what we sing in a bar, or what we sing in a convention for youth.

— Francis Cardinal Arinze (2005)

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