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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Reflections On Marty Haugen’s “Mass Of Creation” (Revised Version)

Jeff Ostrowski · January 5, 2015

492 Jimmy Carter IMMY CARTER and George W. Bush had something in common: neither one could correctly pronounce the word “NUCLEAR.” Here’s a video with ten mispronunciations in just 38 seconds:

      * *  Video • “NUCLEAR” by Carter & Bush

Both men possessed power to destroy the entire world—by means of nuclear weapons—but could not even pronounce the word. Strange, no? 1

Yesterday, I received an email from a priest, asking me to explain why the revised setting of Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation sounds so horrible (according to him). He went on to say:

In my opinion it’s a lazy attempt to stuff a new song into an old box. I’m not a musician so I’d appreciate your thoughts.

Similar to the Carter/Bush “nuclear” pronunciation, I find it strange that popular composers of Catholic liturgical music—and Haugen certainly is one—sometimes disregard fundamental principles of music. Having visited YouTube (so I could assess the revised setting) I fully agree with that priest. The revised setting has a deficient form which “crams” the new words into old wineskins.

WARNING : The article below contains candid opinions about a popular Mass setting. Not everyone will agree with these opinions!

HOW DIFFERENT IS HAUGEN’S SETTING than Gregorian chant. Are you familiar with the “golden ratio” concept? Gregorian composers employed it frequently. For example, Gloria III reaches its highest notes according to the golden ratio.

Before the revision, Haugen’s Gloria “worked” much better, but I still had serious reservations about it. In my opinion, the biggest problem was its heavy reliance on rhythm, whereas authentic Church music takes as its foundation the melody. Moreover, it basically uses a “minor” tonality—in spite of the flattened seventh—whereas great Church music usually makes use of the Church modes, which mysteriously float back and forth between major & minor tonalities. Compared to the Church modes, Common-practice era “minor” tonality often sounds dingy. 2

I find Haugen’s Gloria lacking in harmonic imagination—even stagnant—especially in parts like this. Much of it is plodding and predictable, especially parts like this (perhaps the result of its heavy reliance upon rhythm). Some would argue that congregational music must be predictable, but I strongly disagree. Music can be simple without being predictable.

By way of contrast, consider the beautiful poem by Prudentius (d. 413) which is often sung in English to Dr. Neale’s brilliant translation. Here’s an organ accompaniment for DIVINUM MYSTERIUM, the most common melody:

      * *  PDF Download • Of The Father’s Love Begotten (Organ Accompaniment)

Don’t allow the lush harmonies or parallel seventh chords to scare you! The accompaniment was composed according to NOH principles. To me, the bright & varied harmonies, careful use of dissonance, and preference for oblique and contrary motion propel the melody forward.

Finally, we have occasionally made reference to a very popular “contemporary” Mass setting based on the My Little Pony theme song (e.g. here and here). A family member heard about this and warned me they had “proof” I once enjoyed Missa My Little Pony. Lo and behold, I received a picture of myself in the 1980s:

490 My Little Pony



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   For the record, President Obama does not understand the difference between “who” and “whom.”

2   Needless to say, in the proper place and context, minor keys can be sensational. I love and appreciate all kinds of music, but over the years I’ve come to realize that not all great music is appropriate for Church. For example, the Wedding March by Mendelssohn/Liszt/Horowitz is absolutely delightful: without question a masterpiece … but not for Church!

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

    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

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 ratio of voices in modern choirs is usually wrong. Basses should be numerically greatest, then altos, then tenors, then sopranos. One good soprano can carry a high “A” against 30 lower voices.

— Roger Wagner

Recent Posts

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