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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

Teaching chant to your children

Veronica Brandt · August 1, 2015

teaching kids IRST OF ALL, I SHOULD SAY that the inspiration came from this post on reddit. It describes a simple plan to introduce Gregorian chant in a family.

If you eat a meal in common with a few other people, whatever the arrangement, then maybe this plan will work for you.

Sometimes it is hard to remember to say Grace after Meals, but it is a worthwhile habit. You don’t have to wait until everyone has finished their meal, whenever you remember is good.

The word “grace” comes from “gratias” which means “thanks”. You could take the opportunity to give thanks for particular blessings from the day which leads nicely into a thanksgiving prayer after meals like this one:

We give thee thanks, Almighty God, for all thy benefits, thou who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

or any other prayer of your choice.

Then here is an opportunity to sing something. It’s just one idea – maybe there’s another time that you’re all together that might suit you better, but for some families meal times are the main time for praying together. Whatever works for you. The main thing is to have a time to sing every day.

Choose a piece. The Salve Regina is a popular choice. We know it well as the Hail Holy Queen said at the end of the Rosary.

The reddit article mentions the Parish Book of Chant and the Liber Brevior. It recommends printing off the relevant page and adding the English yourself. However, there is a handy, small, little known book called A New Book of Old Hymns which has the English translation right up there with the chant. I know some prefer to relegate the translation to a less conspicuous place, but this was typeset when I was new to Gregorian chant and having the translation there was important to me.

If you would like to print out a page out of my book, feel free! I have avoided making the pdf easily available in the hope that more people would buy the book, but I know being able to print pages for things like this is incredibly handy.

      * *  PDF: A New Book of Old Hymns, Fourth Edition 92 pages in Latin and English.

And if you like the book, it is available spiral bound, paperback or large print.

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 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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“These liturgists protest that the choir must be encouraged, but in the same breath we are told its purpose is to lead the congregation in the singing of hymns and other unison music. These directions from non-musicians who have never created a musical sound—let alone direct a choir—are the cause of consternation among practicing musicians, both instrumentalists and singers.”

— Monsignor Richard J. Schuler (30 November 1967)

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