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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Rehearsal Videos • Victoria’s “Ave Maria” (SATB)

Jeff Ostrowski · December 10, 2015

942 IMAGE AVE MARIA Tomás Luis de Victoria SATB EOPLE ENJOYED the “O Magnum Mysterium” rehearsal videos, so I went ahead and created individual practice videos for the SATB “Ave Maria” attributed to Tomás Luis de Victoria:

* *  PDF Download • “Ave Maria” (SATB)

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Audio

SOPRANO : YouTube   •   Audio

ALTO : YouTube   •   Audio

TENOR : YouTube   •   Audio

BASS : YouTube   •   Audio

These videos are intended to help amateur choirs learn. When you’re listening, please remember that I’m a tenor! (I do my very best with the other voice parts.)

FOR YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD that T. L. de Victoria (d. 1611) did not write this piece. Many believed that Karl Proske wrote it under a false name, publishing it in his 1854 collection. But consider these original manuscripts shared by my friend Nancho Alvarez. If Nancho reads this article, perhaps he can let me know the date of these manuscripts—they do not seem like something Proske would write. 1

939 AVE MARIA Tomás Luis de Victoria SATB 940 AVE MARIA Tomás Luis de Victoria SATB 941 AVE MARIA Tomás Luis de Victoria SATB

I’m not so sure Victoria—toward the very end of his life—could not have written this piece. Here are six reasons why:

(1) The music is of a very high quality.

(2) The Tenor and Bass lines in measures 14-16 remind me of a section in Victoria’s “Domine non sum dignus.”

(3) The 3/4 section toward the end is reminiscent of pieces by Victoria and other composers of that time, such as Jacobus Handl-Gallus.

(4) The incipit at the beginning is certainly something Victoria would have done, and comes directly from the Gregorian version. In fact, if you carefully examine the Gregorian melody—such as the phrase “Sancta Maria”—you’ll see that many melodies are based on the plainsong. As a Roman Catholic priest, Victoria loved to use the plainsong melodies in his polyphonic compositions.

(5) The composer says “JESUS CHRISTUS” instead of “Jesus,” which reminds me of what was done to the Holy Name in Victoria’s “O Magnum Mysterium.”

(6) Victoria did not compose a 4-voice AVE MARIA, except for this one. Therefore, it fills a lacuna in his repertoire.

In addition, the use of chromaticism seems—in my humble opinion—to match what was being done circa 1605AD.

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Part books had generally fallen out of fashion by the 19th century. The entire 1854 collection by Carl Proske—called “Musica Divina”—can be downloaded HERE.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 16, 2023

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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).

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President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Some of our younger parish clergy read their sermons. This should not be done except for some very special reason. The priest who is not capable of preparing and delivering a brief, clear instruction on Catholic teaching to his people is not fit to be in parish work. The people as a rule do not want to listen to a sermon reader.”

— Archbishop of Baltimore (9 July 1929)

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