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Corpus Christi Watershed

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 Anglican can dress anything up?

Andrew Leung · July 29, 2015

CTL Anglican can dress anything up ECENTLY, I came across a video on Facebook. The person who shared the video made his comment saying that “Anglican can dress anything up”. To be honest, I have a great appreciation for Anglican church music and I really enjoy listening to their boys’ choir. The video is a recording of the Choir of Hexham Abbey and the congregation singing Dan Schutte’s Here I am Lord, a song that I heard a lot growing up. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to be mean the our Anglican brothers and sisters nor to discredit their music. But can the Anglicans really dress anything up? And is it possible that one can change the nature of a song by “dressing them” up?

Let me make it clear: I have nothing against composer himself, so please don’t leave a bunch of negative comments about the composer!


First, I have to admit that the Anglicans did a great job “dressing up” the song. The boys’ choir sounded pretty good and blended, and the descant was just beautiful! The instrumentation is also very noble, none of that guitar and piano stuff. I am very impressed with that congregational singing. I don’t know if they sing like that every Sunday, but I don’t usually hear strong singing like that in Catholic churches. It almost sounds like a different piece from this when it is decorated. But still, the decorations don’t change the nature of this piece.

The text is the soul of a piece of choral music, or a song. The text is the first thing that determine whether a hymn or song is appropriate for the Liturgy. The text is the nature of a song. In the case of Liturgical Music, the texts should govern the musical settings. A decorated Here I am Lord will still have the problem of “Voice of God” as Jeff Ostrowski explained. The refrain of the song is still not poetic and going to be focusing on “me”, instead of God.

Yes, Anglicans might be able to dress anything up, but they can’t change the nature of the song. It can sound very dignified, but still not appropriate for the Mass.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 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 Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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

Bishops have a duty towards both wise and foolish. They have to rouse the devotion of the carnal people with material ornament, since they are incapable of spiritual things.

— St. Bernard of Clairvaux (†1153)

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