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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Guinea Pigs and the Old Sequence for All Souls Day

Veronica Brandt · October 31, 2015

snowball the guinea pig WROTE ABOUT Dies Irae last year. Next time someone asks me why I attend a Vetus Ordo Mass I’ll give Dies Irae as the reason. The current plan splits up the hymn across Matins, Lauds and Vespers – like they do with Jesu Rex Admirabilis and Jesu Dulcis Memoria for the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. If you are eager to read more on their history and place in the Mass
Fr Friel has written a mini history of the Sequences.

But back to the guinea pigs.

A couple of years ago my sons bought a pair of guinea pigs at a homeschool market day. We had lots of exciting times, like when they hid under the shed and wouldn’t come back until after dark. We had random squares of neatly trimmed grass around our yard where their pen would stay for a few days at a time.

But then after a particularly hot day, the boys went to bring the guinea pigs in and found them both dead.

One was stiff already. The other was going that way. To be sure that they weren’t about to revive we kept them in shoeboxes overnight – something like having an open coffin. The passing of time eased the heartache a little.

The next day we dug a hole under a persimmon tree near where their pen was. The usual question about whether animals go to heaven was discussed. We didn’t want to be praying for the repose of their souls, but something to show our trust in God and express the unsettling awareness of the transience of all material things – including fuzzy pets. Queue Dies Irae.

Many are daunted by the length – 20 verses depending how you count them – but it is fairly easy. There are three main tunes. Let’s call them A, B and C.

The pattern is : A A B B C C A A B B C C A A B B C C then the closing tune for Lacrimosa through to the end. All the Sequences have that echo effect which can be very handy for a choir to sing antiphonally with the more experienced singers leading.

Back in our backyard, I pulled out some copies of A New Book of Old Hymns. We sang it through and it seemed so right. Our littlest piped up at the end to say it was all finished.

    * *  Dies Irae – pp 52-55 of A New Book of Old Hymns

I didn’t make a recording that day, but there are many recordings. Giovanni Vianini’s renditions are always great. There are also many, many, many translations and paraphrases.

Maybe you can take this hymn along to your local cemetery for the plenary indulgence Nov 1-8. Have a blessed November.

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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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

Random Quote

[Speaking of those who wish to eliminate Latin from the liturgy.] “One may well wonder what the origin is of this new way of thinking and this sudden dislike for the past; one may well wonder why these things have been fostered.”

— Pope Saint Paul VI (15 August 1966)

Recent Posts

  • “Musicam Sacram” (5 March 1967) • Does It Apply?
  • “What Martin Luther Said…”
  • “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Worship the Lord in Holy Attire
  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”

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