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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

The Future of the Pipe Organ

Fr. David Friel · March 15, 2015

OMETHING HAS STUCK with me since I read an early post of our new contributor, Dr. Lucas Tappan. In his second post, he recalls his parish priest offering to pay for the organ lessons of any student in 4th – 8th grade who was willing to learn. That generous endeavor turned at least one young man into an organist.

A recent article in the Catholic News Herald (newspaper of the Diocese of Charlotte, NC) addresses the modern travails of the pipe organ in Catholic worship, but with a decidedly positive outlook toward the future.

The article interviews Paul Skevington, a past chairman of the NPM section for organists. Skevington observes that the main problem is not so much a shortage of organists, but rather a dearth of full-time, well-paying, church organist positions. This strikes me as sad, especially in a Church that grants principium locum (“principal place,” as translated by Dr. Mahrt) to the pipe organ. Too often, the instrument that should hold “principal place” in the sacred liturgy is allocated “no place” in parish budgets.

These ideas have been rolling around my head for the last couple of weeks. The result is the following set of three easy steps to be taken at the parish level:

1. Increase the amount of funding allocated to sacred music. Quality music programs come at a cost, but so do poor music programs. The difference is that quality music programs only cost money, whereas poor music programs cost money & parishioners.

2. Deliberately foster the talents of potential young organists. What better investment could a parish make than to offer lessons for a couple of its aspiring musicians? If you want to go whole hog, pay to send them to the CMAA Colloquium, too.

3. Help parish building committees to understand that the cost of a pipe organ & its maintenance are worth it. If a parish is building a new church or undertaking a renovation, make sure to include qualified musicians in the design phase. Instruments, choir areas, & acoustics should never be treated as mere afterthoughts.

Most of our readers do not need to be convinced of the importance of the pipe organ or the “principal place” it deserves. But perhaps we could choose one or more of these steps and become a leader at the parish level. That’s where real change happens, and that’s where the future of the pipe organ will be secured or lost.

“The manifold possibilities of the organ remind us of the immensity and the magnificence of God.” (Pope Benedict XVI)

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Passing on Tradition, Pipe Organ, Sacred Music Colloquium, Simple Steps To Improve Parish Music Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“We have baptized about 240 this year … All the labors of a million persons—would they not be worthwhile if they gained one single soul for Jesus Christ?”

— Father Isaac Jogues, writing to his mother

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