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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Downloads • Vernacular Mass Settings Published During The 1960s

Jeff Ostrowski · May 18, 2015

755 Mass in honor of FATIMA COVER EVERAL YEARS AGO, I received a letter from a bishop quite upset with our blog. Specifically, he didn’t like some of the information we published regarding the reforms—such as the testimony of Cardinal Antonelli—and declared that we were wrong to be critical because “everyone associated with the reforms had good intentions.”  1

We will continue to investigate the liturgical reforms of the 1960s. These reforms exceeded what was called for by the documents of Vatican II, yet certain “scholars” still carefully ignore statements they dislike, such as the Council’s mandates regarding Gregorian chant and the retention of Latin. 2

The following Mass settings were published almost immediately after the promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium on 4 December 1963:

    * *  1964 • ENGLISH MASS No. 2 (Sister M. Elaine)

    * *  1965 • AVE MARIS STELLA MASS (Carroll T. Andrews)

    * *  1965 • ENGLISH MASS Honoring Our Lady of Fatima (Sister M. Florentine)

    * *  1965 • ENGLISH MASS for the DEAD (J. G. Phillips)

    * *  1965 • CHORAL MASS IN ENGLISH (William J. Marsh)

    * *  1966 • ENGLISH MASS in honor of SAINT RICHARD (R. K. Biggs)

    * *  1967 • ENGLISH MASS “Peace on Earth” (V. Carnevali)

You’ll notice tons of curiosities, especially regarding approval for texts and music. Someone has written “wait for kiss of peace” in the Requiem score…but does the PAX occur in a Requiem? These settings strike me as utilitarian and “thrown together” rather than true art. By the way, I wish ICEL had kept “peace on earth to men of good will.” I hate the wording in the current version. If they were set upon avoiding the word “men,” I wish they would have done something like “peace on earth to those of good will.” But nobody asked me.

Why didn’t they create simple settings, based on Gregorian chant? Here’s one of my attempts; judge for yourself whether it makes sense:


That setting is found in the Jogues Illuminated Missal. Simple melodies can also be made more ornate; here’s an attempt by yours truly:


We’ve mentioned many of the unanswered questions caused by the post-conciliar reforms, such as the approval debacle, the contradiction regarding Holy Days, and the “reverse effect” caused by trying to give more options. But what drives me crazy is how certain reformers left their personal mark on the liturgy. Countless venerable texts were replaced with contemporary settings composed by “experts.” Ancient ceremonies were “corrected” arbitrarily. It is often difficult to trust in their skills when we observe careless errors in the official books. Here’s one example.

Nevertheless, I wish to publicly apologize for the times my rhetoric has come across as caustic, inflammatory, or mean-spirited. Such actions do not help our cause.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   I sent him a nice response, choosing not to argue with him, but was dying to ask how he could be so sure that everyone associated with the reform had good intentions, especially in light of the revelations by an Oratorian priest, Fr. Louis Bouyer, who was intimately involved with these very reforms.

2   It’s important to remember that the Vatican II documents were not available to the average Catholic in those days. The internet has altered this situation.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Low Mass Vernacular Hymns Last Updated: April 6, 2021

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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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Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

«In the same quarter where he was crucified there was a garden.» (John 19:41) — The word “garden” hinted at Eden and the fall of man, as it also suggested through its flowers in the springtime the Resurrection from the dead.

— Fulton J. Sheen

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