Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for August 2015

Jeff Ostrowski · August 12, 2015

Cardinal Sarah’s Powerful Letter Available In English!

“Adoremus Bulletin” has uploaded a translation of the CDW Prefect’s document.

Jeff Ostrowski · August 11, 2015

Remarkable! • Amiens Cathedral During World War

There’s something scary about this image!

Jeff Ostrowski · August 11, 2015

Evelyn Waugh Requiem Panegyric Preached At Westminster By Fr. Caraman (21 April 1966)

“Evelyn was sad when he read of churches in which the old altar was taken down…”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 10, 2015

Carlo Rossini: “Exaltate Deum Hymnal” (1941)

115 Offertories, Motets, and Hymns for SATB choirs.

Jeff Ostrowski · August 9, 2015

Do You Like This German Hymn Tune?

Hymns in 3/4 can present problems, but this one really isn’t…

Fr. David Friel · August 9, 2015

Vesting Prayers • Part 6 of 9

The Maniple

Veronica Brandt · August 8, 2015

Three part motet for the Assumption by Ravanello

A little counterpoint gem with ramblings on solfege.

Richard J. Clark · August 7, 2015

That’s Entertainment, Folks!

Entertainment distracts from the Real Presence. We must lead. We must offer substance. Our spiritual lives depend upon it, as do those whom we serve.

Jeff Ostrowski · August 7, 2015

Propers for the Assumption (15 August)

Videos, Scores, & Mp3 Files

Jeff Ostrowski · August 6, 2015

Pope Paul VI Celebrates Ambrosian Rite At Vatican II

Cardinal Montini—later known as Pope Paul VI—celebrates Mass in the St. Peter’s Basilica during Vatican II.

Andrew Leung · August 6, 2015

Sacred Music as an Emotional Experience

Emotions and the field of Sacred Music

Jeff Ostrowski · August 5, 2015

Musical Resources • 11th Sunday after Pentecost (Extraordinary Form)

The Verdelot “Agnus Dei” gets better and better the more we explore its treasures.

Jeff Ostrowski · August 5, 2015

Help Needed From Organists Who Can Improvise!

Are you a composer?

Jeff Ostrowski · August 4, 2015

Why St. Josemaría Escrivá Only Celebrated The Extraordinary Form

“Such moments had been a part of his spiritual life since boyhood and through his priesthood.”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 4, 2015

The Easiest Way To Teach Your Choir Polyphony

What could be simpler or more fun than this?

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!

A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)

I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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

The representative Protestant collection, entitled “Hymns, Ancient and Modern”—in substance a compromise between the various sections of conflicting religious thought in the Establishment—is a typical instance. That collection is indebted to Catholic writers for a large fractional part of its contents. If the hymns be estimated which are taken from Catholic sources, directly or imitatively, the greater and more valuable part of its contents owes its origin to the Church.

— Orby Shipley (1884)