Views from the Choir Loft

Musical Resources • First Sunday of Advent (Extraordinary Form)

Jeff Ostrowski · November 29, 2015

RESPONSES FOR HIGH MASS

PDF Score (Singer) • printed on a single sheet

PROCESSIONAL • #796 Veni, Veni Emmanuel

From the Campion Hymnal. Organist.

ASPERGES

PDF Score (Singer) • Practice Audio (Singer) • Organist

To practice the new section of the Asperges, you must locate #4550.

INTROIT • Sung by the men only.

PDF Score (Singer) • Practice Audio (Singer)

KYRIE ELEISON

Our Palestrina Kyrie will be sung during Advent. The CHRISTE section (#5054) and the KYRIE section (#5053).

To practice the Kyrie by Richard Rice, which will sing again someday, you must locate #4781.

Sometimes we do a Kyrie from the Campion Hymnal. The organist needs this Accompaniment. To learn this piece, go here and find “Kyrie XI.”

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS

Glória in excélsis is omitted from the first Sunday of Advent until Christmas, except on Feasts.

GRADUAL & ALLELUIA

To practice the new Palestrina ALLELUIA, you must locate #4470. The other one we know is #5050.

You don’t need to practice the chant verses which change each week.

CREDO IV • Alternatim

PDF Score (Singer) • Practice Audio (Singer) • Organist

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON

PDF Score (Singer)

OFFERTORY

We will sing Praeclara Custos Virginum, which you learn by rehearsing #4022.

SANCTUS & HOSANNA

We have been singing #4912 and will sing it again this Sunday.

Sometimes—but not this coming Sunday—we sing a different polyphonic “Hosanna,” which is #5048. You don’t need to practice the Chant Part.

AGNUS DEI

To practice the Agnus Dei by Philippe Verdelot (d. 1531), you must locate #4801.

Don’t forget our other setting, #4347.

COMMUNION ORGAN

Organist … while choir receives Holy Communion.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

PDF Score (Singer) • Practice Audio (Singer)

COMMUNION POLYPHONY

We will sing #4428 this Sunday. It is called “Jesu Dulcis Memoria.”

COMMUNION HYMN

Please practice #4063 (Te Saeculorum).

Organist uses this accompaniment.

RECESSIONAL HYMN • #797 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

From the Campion Hymnal. Organist.

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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

Epiphany Hymn • “New 2-Voice Arrangement”

The Von Trapp Family Singers loved a melody that was featured heavily (perhaps even “too heavily”) in the Brébeuf Hymnal. It goes by many names, including ALTONA, VOM HIMMEL HOCH, and ERFURT. If you only have one man and one woman singing, you will want to download this arrangement for two voices. It really is a marvelous tune—and it’s especially fitting during the season of Christmas and Epiphany.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Simplified Accompaniment (Epiphany Hymn)

About a month ago, I created a simplified keyboard accompaniment for “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”—the famous ADVENT hymn—using a melody called CROSS OF JESUS. It was soon downloaded more than 1,000 times. As of this morning, you can download a simplified keyboard accompaniment for the belovèd Epiphany hymn “Bethlehem! Of noblest cities” (O Sola Magnarum Urbium) by clicking on this link (PDF file). Many organists are forced to serve simultaneously as both CANTOR and ACCOMPANIST. In spite of what some claim, this can be difficult, which explains why choirmasters appreciate these simplified keyboard accompaniments.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Psalm Tone Challenge!

Many readers know that Tone 1a3 is the most difficult PSALM TONE in the 1962 books (and isn’t called for very often). But what about very short verses—which is the absolute most concise you know? The shortest PSALM TONE segment I know would be the fourth verse (PDF) from Psalm 44, used during Matins at Christmas. It’s literally one word long. If you know a more minuscule one, please email me!

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “In Paradisum” in English

We always sing the IN PARADISUM in Latin, as printed on this PDF score. I have an appallingly bad memory (meaning I’d be a horrible witness in court). In any event, it’s been brought to my attention that 15 years ago I created this organ accompaniment for the famous and beautiful ‘IN PARADISUM’ Gregorian chant sung in English according to ‘MR3’ (Roman Missal, Third Edition). If anyone desires such a thing, feel free to download and print. Looking back, I wish I’d brought the TENOR and BASS voices into a unison (on B-Natural) for the word “welcome” on the second line.

—Jeff Ostrowski

What does this mean? “Pre-Urbanite”

Something informed critics have frequently praised vis-à-vis the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal is its careful treatment of the ancient hymns vs. the “Urbanite” hymns. This topic I had believed to be fairly well understood—but I was wrong. The reason I thought people knew about it is simple; in the EDITIO VATICANA 1908 Graduale Romanum (as well as the 1913 Liber Antiphonarius) both versions are provided, right next to each other. You can see what I mean by examining this PDF file from the Roman Gradual of 1908. Most people still don’t understand that the Urbanite versions were never adopted by any priests or monks who sang the Divine Office each day. Switching would have required a massive amount of effort and money, because all the books would need to be changed.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Santo Santo Santo”

Those searching for a dignified, brief, simple, bright setting of SANCTUS in Spanish (“Santo Santo Santo”) are invited to download this Setting in honor of Saint John Brébeuf (organist & vocalist). I wonder if there would be any interest in me recording a rehearsal video for this piece.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Giovanni Doni is known for having changed the name of note “Ut,” renaming it “Do.” He convinced his contemporaries to make the change by arguing that 1) “Do” is easier to pronounce than “Ut,” and 2) “Do” is an abbreviation for “Dominus,” the Latin word for the Lord, Who is the tonic and root of the world. There is much academic speculation that Giovanni Doni also wanted to imprint himself into musical canon in perpetuity because “Do” is also ulteriorly an abbreviation for his family name.

— Giovanni Battista Doni died in 1647AD