Views from the Choir Loft

How many tunes should we use?

Veronica Brandt · September 19, 2015

SK SOMEONE THEIR FAVORITE Latin hymn, they’re likely to say Ave Maria, Ave verum or Panis Angelicus. Ask them which one and you may be met with a blank stare. Maybe they know of a few versions of the Ave Maria – the Schubert and the Bach-Gounod, for instance, but you can bet the Ave Verum is going to be by Mozart and Panis by Cesar Franck.

One thing about delving into hymnbooks is finding how many different ways there are to do things. It seems particularly strong with Latin hymns. Vernacular verses are forever mutating and multiplying, but Latin texts are fairly static. If you can’t modify the words, then that creative energy can flow into new musical arrangements.

Noel Jones, in his Catholic Choirbook Series makes good use of this feature by giving a variety of settings for each text. The choir may start with Adoramus Te Christe in unison accompanied by the organ and then move on to a polyphonic setting more easily once the words are known.

Many old (and not-so-old) Catholic hymnbooks have a surprising number of tunes for the standard hymns at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Growing up I was lucky enough to be aware of two tunes for Tantum Ergo or Down in Adoration Falling. Now I see that possibilities are much more rich and varied.

Hymnbook	Settings of O salutaris	Settings of Tantum ergo
Liber Usualis	2	4
St Gregory Hymnal	7	10
St Basil 1918	6	7
Arundel Hymns	15	14
Eucharistic Hymns, Benediction, Hymns to Mary	9	8
A Treasury of Catholic Song	8	8
Cantuale Romano-Seraphicum	5	16

The Westminster Hymnal gives no tunes at all for Benediction, with the footnote:

To provide music for Benediction throughout the year is outside the scope of a hymnal. A selection of tunes for “O Salutaris” can be made from those headed “Long Meter” in the metrical index. “Tantum ergo” can be sung to any tune headed 878787 in the metrical index.

Using different settings helps broaden a choir’s repertoire. The congregation can at least be familiar with the words while becoming accustomed to new music. Different music may suit different seasons and circumstances.

So, maybe next time someone seems bored with the traditional hymns, maybe try a new tune before throwing out the old words.

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

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).

Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published

Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.

—Jeff Ostrowski

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.

—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