Views from the Choir Loft

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(6 of 7)

Cynthia Ostrowski · March 1, 2015

OU HAVE PROBABLY noticed I don’t weigh in on complex questions of liturgical music. I lack expertise ¹ in that area. However, at various times in my life, I’ve attended Mass where the music sounded peculiar. To my ear, it often sounds “secular” (if that makes sense) and inappropriate. The early 2000s—when I attended college—now seem like a different lifetime, but I remember my classmates composing their own songs (with their own lyrics) and performing them during Mass, without any permission from the bishop. They are still doing this, although I have a question about how long they will be considered “hip.”

I may not have grasped the full import of Mr. Craig’s article, but I did read it. From what I can understand, people are replacing the official Church texts without sufficient clearance from the bishop.

I feel relieved, in a certain sense: the instances I mentioned earlier are against the rules. On the other hand, I feel confused: why doesn’t someone put a stop to this? I don’t want my family attending Masses where irreverent songs are used because I believe children instinctively “sense” when the liturgy is not celebrated in a dignified manner.

Where does this need come from; a need for everything to be new and created with haste? Why is so little consideration given to the ancient prayers which served satisfactorily for so many centuries? Like the waves of the ocean, the next generation rises and falls. Before we know it, our children will be running the show. Let’s teach them to value Sacred music treasury extolled by the Second Vatican Council.

NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1 My focus is mainly on religious art and photography—areas in which I do have training.

This article is part of a series:

Part 1 • Richard Clark

Part 2 • Veronica Brandt

Part 3 • Andrew Leung

Part 4 • Dr. Lucas Tappan

Part 5 • Andrew Motyka

Part 6 • Cynthia Ostrowski

Part 7 • Aurelio Porfiri

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

About Cynthia Ostrowski

Cynthia Ostrowski holds a bachelor's degree (2005) in Geographic Information Science and a minor in Computer Science from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi.—(Read full biography).

“Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon

This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly

Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.

—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