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Views from the Choir Loft

The difference between Anything and Everything.

Veronica Brandt · May 9, 2015

trolley of possibilities When anything is possible, then the temptation is to go for EVERYTHING!

This is one danger in home education. There is the temptation to think that the sky is the limit, then go off in a zillion different directions at once, then wonder why we never seem to get anything done. Taking on too much, many parents crash and burn. This is chaos.

The other danger is that of paralysis. There are so many choices available it can be hard to tell where to start. Some find the whole thing too daunting and stick with the same books they used as children or a particular package of lesson plans.

The same can be said of hymns replacing propers. Take this Thursday for instance. It is the feast of St Matthias, Apostle. It is also Ascension Thursday, although this has been transferred to the Sunday in my diocese. It is also the beginning of the nine days leading up to Pentecost which is credited as being the origin of all novenas. And it is the month of May, so we have to pick something for Mary.

We can look at the Readings and find Peter and the Apostles choosing Matthias by lot. The Gospel tells of Jesus giving the New Commandment of Love.

So, when it comes to choosing hymns, there are many different options open—more options than there is space to use them.

Have you seen all the hymnbooks Jeff uploaded the other day? There are thousands upon thousands of hymns out there! Even just one hymnbook usually contains a few hundred.

It’s worth noting that many Catholic hymns come from the Divine Office, especially Vespers. Looking at Vespers, each day has just one hymn. The main part of the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours is the Psalmody. The Psalms are your meat-and-potatoes. The hymn is your ice cream.

So, back to Mass. If we go with the Propers, then our choices would be far simpler. An Ordo can tell you which direction is the one to take. There is also still room for a hymn or two – before and/or after Mass and maybe even another if there’s time at Communion. The important things to sing are the Ordinaries which don’t change and the Propers which reflect the feast or season.

With the Propers you can see a path to take. Everyone can start on the same page. The element of personal preference takes a back seat and the Church’s treasury of sacred music comes forward.

In case you’re wondering about the photo, this is my 2 year old daughter. I planned to get a photo of her wanting everything and thought we could pile the trolley high with toys to illustrate the point. Instead she dismantled my efforts saying “One at a time”.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymns Replacing Propers Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Hymn by Cardinal Newman
    During the season of Septuagesima, we will be using this hymn by Cardinal Newman, which employs both Latin and English. (Readers probably know that Cardinal Newman was one of the world's experts when it comes to Lingua Latina.) The final verse contains a beautiful soprano descant. Father Louis Bouyer—famous theologian, close friend of Pope Paul VI, and architect of post-conciliar reforms—wrote thus vis-à-vis the elimination of Septuagesima: “I prefer to say nothing, or very little, about the new calendar, the handiwork of a trio of maniacs who suppressed (with no good reason) Septuagesima and the Octave of Pentecost and who scattered three quarters of the Saints higgledy-piddledy, all based on notions of their own devising!”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I'm not a fan of chant in octaves, but we had such limited time to rehearse, it seemed the best choice. After all, everyone should have an opportunity to learn “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium,” which summarizes Candlemas.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Liberalism in religion is the doctrine that there is no positive truth in religion, but that one creed is as good as another… It teaches that all are to be tolerated, for all are matters of opinion. Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment and a taste; not an objective fact, not miraculous; and it is the right of each individual to make it say just what strikes his fancy. […] Men may go to Protestant Churches and to Catholic, may get good from both and belong to neither.”

— Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman (May of 1879)

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