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Views from the Choir Loft

How many tunes should we use?

Veronica Brandt · September 19, 2015

o saslutaris 15 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.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymnbooks 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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Quick Thoughts

    Hymn by Cardinal Newman
    During the season of Septuagesima, we will be using this hymn by Cardinal Newman, which employs both Latin and English. (Readers probably know that Cardinal Newman was one of the world's experts when it comes to Lingua Latina.) The final verse contains a beautiful soprano descant. Father Louis Bouyer—famous theologian, close friend of Pope Paul VI, and architect of post-conciliar reforms—wrote thus vis-à-vis the elimination of Septuagesima: “I prefer to say nothing, or very little, about the new calendar, the handiwork of a trio of maniacs who suppressed (with no good reason) Septuagesima and the Octave of Pentecost and who scattered three quarters of the Saints higgledy-piddledy, all based on notions of their own devising!”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I'm not a fan of chant in octaves, but we had such limited time to rehearse, it seemed the best choice. After all, everyone should have an opportunity to learn “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium,” which summarizes Candlemas.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“We cannot approve of the attitude of those who use the problems raised and discussed by the Council to create in themselves and in others an attitude of unrest and a desire for radical reformation, as if the Council gives every private opinion a chance to destroy the heritage of the Church. acquired during Her many centuries of history and experience.”

— Pope Paul VI (30 June 1965)

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