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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

It Has Arrived! • “Proper of the Mass” (Ignatius)

Jeff Ostrowski · April 7, 2015

944 Weber Propers Missal Gradual VER A PERIOD of weeks, we’ve discussed the current system of replacing assigned Mass texts in the Ordinary Form, which violates liturgical law. 1 Priests wishing to allow their congregations to pray the actual prayers of the Mass have a solution in the Jogues Lectionary, the only pew book containing the full Vatican II propers in Latin & English.

But what about the music?

Many parishes use the Lalemant Propers (very simple); Simple English Propers (fairly simple); or Graduale Parvum (simple). 2 Yet, when it comes to Ordinary Form propers, we need as many options as possible, and a fantastic book appeared today:

* *  PROPER OF THE MASS — 1,292 page book

I won’t reproduce the descriptions given there, but please notice that Fr. Weber’s book provides multiple settings for each chant. Below are audio samples demonstrating a “simpler” setting and a “complex” setting of the same Entrance chant. If you’re familiar with the ancient Latin version (“Judica Me”) you will notice that Fr. Weber’s version sounds quite similar:

Simpler Setting:   YouTube   •   Mp3 File

Complex Setting:   YouTube   •   Mp3 File

I ordered my copy today; when it arrives, I hope to write a comprehensive review of Fr. Weber’s masterpiece.

Proper of the Mass: Entrance, Offertory and Communion Antiphons for Sundays and Solemnities (Benedict XVI Institute, 19 March 2014)

*** UPDATES :

Lovely images of this book can now be viewed.

Andrew R. Motyka has posted a beautiful review of this book.

 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND this new English Gradual to anyone who wants to sing the proper antiphons on a regular basis and is looking for very accessible, yet most beautiful chant in the vernacular. We cannot thank Fr. Samuel Weber enough for all his hard work, a true labor of love and dedication to liturgy and the Church. I am most confident that this new Gradual will become a standard work and hopefully find a home in many parishes.

—Dr. Horst Buchholz (Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, MO)

 

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Daniel Craig’s landmark article presents important documentation from the USCCB which—although it dates from a few years ago—is still pertinent.

2   Even more options, along with audio samples, can be found here.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Graduale Romanum Roman Gradual Propers, Propers Ignatius Press by Fr Samuel Weber Last Updated: October 25, 2024

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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

    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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 1960s reformers had no chance of success since their goal was “recasting from top to bottom—and in a few months!—an entire liturgy which had required twenty centuries to develop.”

— Professor Louis Bouyer, close friend of Pope Saint Paul VI

Recent Posts

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