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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 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

    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“It will not be Rome to tell you what you should do, no: because you have the charism. …you have the Holy Spirit for this. If Rome were to begin to make the decisions it would be a blow to the Holy Spirit, who works in the particular Churches.”

— Pope Francis (27 March 2023)

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