Views from the Choir Loft

Lord of the World

Veronica Brandt · January 31, 2015

Fr. Robert Hugh Benson, 1907 OPE FRANCIS RECOMMENDS THE novel, Lord of the World by Mgr. Robert Hugh Benson. This has been mentioned a few times in the news, but I only stumbled across it today.

I found this particularly reassuring as I have loved many of Mgr. Benson’s novels, starting with Come Rack, Come Rope, borrowed from the church library where I went to primary school. His novels probably sound a little melodramatic to modern ears, but once you acclimatize there are many wonderful stories to enjoy as he did write quite a few novels and short stories. Many are available for free at Project Gutenberg.

Lord of the World shows something of a pessimistic view of the future, extrapolating from trains of thought current around 1900. The similarities to propaganda and events in the world wars is sobering. Monsignor Benson died in 1914, so never saw these ideas play out. It is rather spooky to see the evils foreseen way back over a hundred years ago. There is much, much food for thought in there.

I loved the book so much that it was one of the first that I formatted to make a paperback which is still available at Lulu. Today I spent way too long making an ebook version to go with the paperback.

The main thing which stayed with me from this book was the ending. Now, I don’t want to give too much away, but just let me say that some familiarity with Pange Lingua comes in handy. I remember having to look up quite a few things when I read the book for the first time. When I put together my edition of the book I added in footnotes to save readers some trouble. The author could take for granted that the reader would understand a reference to Adeste Fideles or the odd fragment from the better known psalms – all in Latin. That was the common canon which brought a wealth of associations from just a few words. I wish we could still rely on that today.

I hope you find some treasures in Mgr Benson’s books. His background as a high profile convert to the Catholic faith is worth a read too. It is rather awesome to be part of this Church.

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

About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

Dom Pothier • Photo from 1904

Dom Paul Cagin, in a 1904 publication (L’oeuvre de Solesmes dans la restauration du chant grégorien) made sure to include a beautiful image of Dom Pothier, the legendary abbot of St-Wandrille. Also shown is a very young Dom André Mocquereau. Auguste Pécoul—considered the spiritual “son” of Abbat Prosper Guéranger of Solesmes—wrote as follows on 24 June 1901: “To forestall any confusion, let us remember that there is just one Gregorian notation—that restored, according to the ancient manuscripts, by the eminent Abbot of Saint-Wandrille, Dom Pothier.” ✠

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “3-Voice Motet” (Father De Laet)

I believe 99% of our readers will recognize this hymn tune. Perhaps Father Edgard De Laet should have called it a ‘hymn’ instead of a ‘motet for three voices’—but he’s technically correct, since MOTET is defined as: “a short piece of sacred choral music, typically polyphonic and unaccompanied.” The even verses are for three voices, as you will see if you download the PDF score at #20245. The odd verses may be song a cappella SATB or unison with organ.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Hymn for 2 Voices”

Readers who click on this video will see that it starts with verses of the “Pange Lingua” hymn by Saint Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) arranged for two voices. However, there’s a polyphonic refrain (“Tantum Ergo”) for three voices, taken from Kevin Allen’s Motecta Trium Vocum. If your choir is very small, this piece is for you! You can download the PDF score free of charge—and you can also utilize the rehearsal videos for each individual voice—by navigating yourself to #20323.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”

I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of January (2026)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)

I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.

—Jeff Ostrowski