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Views from the Choir Loft

Palestrina “O Crux Ave” • Practice Videos

Jeff Ostrowski · February 3, 2015

371 Manuscript Vexilla ICHARD NIXON was not the only president of the United States. Reagan, Lincoln, Kennedy, and many others cannot be forgotten. Nixon was but a small part of the presidential legacy. Similarly, many choirs wrongly treat Palestrina’s “O Crux Ave” as if it were its own entity. In fact, it’s only one section of Palestrina’s setting of the Vexilla Regis hymn. Failure to grasp this is a grave error.

It is not possible to appreciate Palestrina’s setting without being familiar with the Gregorian version. Please take a minute to become familiar with the melody, by means of this video, this Mp3, or even this organ piece which uses themes from Vexilla. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to listen to what Palestrina did with the sixth verse (placing the Vexilla melody in the Soprano):

      * *  PDF Download • O Crux Ave (Palestrina)

      * *  Mp3 Recording • O Crux Ave (Palestrina)


Here are some practice recordings to help your choir learn:

SOPRANO VIDEO   •   Mp3

ALTO VIDEO   •   Mp3

TENOR VIDEO   •   Mp3

BASS VIDEO   •   Mp3

WE WILL SOON POST more sections from this hymn as set by Palestrina. Some of you know I transcribed all four volumes of Carl Proske’s “Musica Divina” collection in 2002. When I discovered this beautiful setting by Palestrina—all the parts, not just the O CRUX AVE—I was so impressed. I never had a chance to teach this piece to a choir until this year! If you view the original version as found in Proske, you will see why I felt the need to transcribe it!

Fun Fact :

If you look carefully at the version in the Liber Usualis, you’ll see that they broke a neume. I’ve only ever seen one other instance where a neume is broken. Normally, hypermetric syllables are elided (although some choirs will add a note). This is not a “Solesmes thing” because the 1953 Schwann version does same thing. The 1940s NOH seems unaware of this. I cannot really tell what the 1892 Pustet version does. The 1891 Antiphonale by Pothier does not appear to indicate that the neume should be broken. The 14th-century German manuscript in the upper right indicates that their singers had difficulties here, so somebody “wrote out” the notes in the margin—truly fascinating!

370 Vexilla


Notice the 1896 Graduel romain à l’usage de la province écclésiastique de Québec does the same thing:

89373 vexilla arbor decora 1896 Graduel romain


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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Vexilla Regis Prodeunt 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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

At papal Masses, the regulations against tardiness were more stringent than at Masses celebrated by cardinals or bishops. Giovanni Maria Nanino records that any singer who is not in his place—and in his vestments—by the end of the repetition of the “Introit” will be fined eight vinti. At papal Vespers, the singer who is not present at the “Gloria Patri” of the first psalm pays a fine of fifty balocchi.

— Giovanni M. Nanino (d. 1607), Papal “Maestro di Cappella”

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