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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

Ridiculously Awesome Sanctus You’ve Never Heard

Jeff Ostrowski · February 2, 2016

HEN I FIRST ENCOUNTERED Guerrero’s SANCTUS & HOSANNA, I wasn’t impressed; but then I began to look deeper. I noticed how Guerrero places the ancient chant “Beata Mater” as a Trope in the Soprano, then—to add variety—moves it to the Alto. Scholars are divided on whether, in fact, the Trope would have been sung. 1 It turns out the marvelous melody we mentioned earlier was taken from the end of the chant—how cool is that?

I recorded all the voice parts myself to give an idea how it sounds:

    * *  PDF Download • Guerrero SANCTUS & HOSANNA


The second half of the SANCTUS is based on that same motif. Those Renaissance composers certainly did appreciate “order and structure” in their compositions, and that’s part of what makes their music so great. 2

We don’t spend time denigrating the work of others on this blog. That being said, it is obscene for today’s “liturgical” composers to offer their works as substitutes for composers like Guerrero, Victoria, Nanini, and Palestrina. Comparing them would be like comparing my bank account to Michael Jordan’s—but judge for yourself! Sing through the Tenor line. Sing through the Alto line. See for yourself how dazzling Guerrero can be!

This is the 1st Section only. I hope to add the 2nd Section (“Benedictus”) soon. 3

REHEARSAL VIDEOS :

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Audio

SOPRANO : YouTube   •   Audio

ALTO : YouTube   •   Audio

TENOR : YouTube   •   Audio

BASS : YouTube   •   Audio




NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   We have very little information about the precise way this music would have been performed. People have all kinds of hypotheses—for example, regarding whether instruments would have been used—but things get hairy when you ask them “How did you arrive at your conclusion?” I have no trouble believing that the text of this Trope would have been sung. On the other hand, secular songs were also included in such scores, and I’m not sure those would have been sung. Here’s what a famous musicologist told me recently:

Such an inclusion of the text of a source of a cantus firmus is often seen in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. In manuscripts I’ve seen in color, these texts are often red—so maybe “sing the black, think the red.” Stranger things have been done, but I doubt that they would have sung the text of the song.

In any event, we are not allowed to sing Tropes in the Extraordinary Form. That’s why I added the text in italics.

2   By the way, Guerrero has a distinct compositional style, and several of his traits are shown in this Mass setting: penchant for canons; “sneaking in” voices on odd beats, outlining tritones, and even skips of a seventh (over a rest).

3   At the conclusion of the “Benedictus,” the same HOSANNA is sung.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Francisco Guerrero Composer, Missa Beata Mater Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st 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 spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

They were not ashamed to lay their hands on Sedulius, on Prudentius, on St. Ambrose himself. Only in one or two cases does some sense of shame seem to have stopped their nefarious work. They left “Ave maris stella,” “Jam lucis orto sidere,” and St. Thomas Aquinas’s hymns alone (they would have made pretty work of “Sacris solemniis”). In 1629 their mangled remnants were published.

— Rev’d Adrian Knottesford Fortescue (25 March 1916)

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