Views from the Choir Loft

SATB “Alleluia” By Palestrina • Brief, Easy, & Sumptuous

Jeff Ostrowski · August 25, 2015

HEN JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH visited King Frederick II on 7 May 1747, the king gave him a challenging fugue subject, which Bach used to create gorgeous music. Something similar was done with the melody of “Ut Re Mi Fa Sol La” by the great composers. My choir has already done a version by Morales, and now we are doing one by Palestrina:

* * PDF Download • ALLELUIA “Ut Re Mi Fa Sol La”

By the way, both those composers—Palestrina & Morales—wrote full Masses in which the theme constantly appears in the most ingenious ways.

The following rehearsal videos provide Solfège versions, and I believe that using Solfège will allow you to teach your choir this piece in no time flat. (Pardon the pun!)

Rehearsal Videos :

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube • Mp3 Audio

SOPRANO : YouTube • Audio incl. Solfège

ALTO : YouTube • Audio incl. Solfège

TENOR : YouTube • Audio incl. Solfège

BASS : YouTube • Audio incl. Solfège

You owe it to yourself to sing through the Alto line … such fun!

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

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).

“Tonus Solemnior” • How old is it?

In the 1962 Missal, a section called “præfationes in tono solemniore” contains ornate melodies for the Preface. An article posted on the blog of the Church Music Association of America claims the tone comes from “the late 19th century” and said its elimination “is one of the very few good things which the post-Conciliar reform did for Gregorian chant.” The author said: “The Roman solemn preface tone is already beautiful enough, there was no need to give a more Romantic feel.”

Some have asked us whether the tonus solemnior comes from “the late 19th century.” It does not. Their author was wrong by at least 400 years. I have seen this tone in MSS from the 1400s—and it may go back even further. Here is an example from 1494AD. And here’s another from the 1400s. The FSSP priests use these tones on high feasts, and the effect is unforgettable.

—Jeff Ostrowski

6 January 2022 • Quick!

A short version of the INTROIT for the feast of the Epiphany has been added to the Saint René Goupil Gregorian Chant Website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Confusing Feasts of Christmas

Whether one considers the Missale Vetustum or the post-conciliar calendar—or even the 1908 calendar—the feasts which follow Christmas are very confusing. Last year I created this comparison chart. I hope you find it helpful. As far as I can tell, my chart is the first effort to carefully detail the changes made to post-Christmas feasts (unless we also count the rather basic one by Lauren Pristas).

—Jeff Ostrowski