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Jesus said to them: “I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it, that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind. If you were blind, you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, ‘We can see clearly,’ that you cannot be rid of your guilt.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Decapitation of an Innocent Meadowlark

Jeff Ostrowski · February 10, 2016

777 Meadowlark HEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY, my father took me into the country to hunt doves. I aimed my shotgun at what I thought was a dove, but—having shot it out of the sky—I discovered it was a beautiful meadowlark. When I picked it up, it was still alive, so I called out: “Dad, dad—the bird is still alive.” My father ran over and immediately twisted off its head, to my great horror. 1 All the way home, I quietly sobbed for this meadowlark—and for several days afterward.

Now that I’m in my 30s, I doubt that decapitating a meadowlark would cause me to sob for days. 2 But my question to you is: “Does that make it any less real?”

Consider the realm of music. Do you remember the first time you heard a piece you really loved? I certainly remember how moved I was when I first heard Victoria’s O Magnum Mysterium. I remember, too, how excited I was to discover the counterpoint in a 2-Part Invention by Bach. I remember how moved I was when I first heard Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli. Indeed, I could probably list more than 300 works—including a whole lot of Bach and Chopin—that gave me hours of delight. This concept will be familiar to you!

Sometimes, if you perform a piece of music hundreds of times—or hear it too much—it can “lose its luster.” It will not move you in the same way. Do we remember that people in the pews often lack our musical background? Do we fully understand that these are not people who have spent hours practicing a 3-Part Sinfonia by Bach? Do we recall that many Catholics have never sung “Row Row Row Your Boat” as a round, much less studied the Goldberg Variations of Bach?

Getting sick of music is nothing to be ashamed of. If you doubt this, read about Ferruccio Busoni’s final years, or learn what famous pianists said about judging competitions where the same piece of music is played 40-50 times by the various competitors.

MAKE SURE TO CONSTANTLY EXPAND your horizons as a music director, and don’t sing the same pieces over and over. If music becomes “stale” to you, your singers will be able to sense that! On the other hand, let’s remember never to dismiss the feelings of someone who has just experienced a famous piece of music—even if you’ve heard it so many times you want to scream. One solution that seems to work is to keep some repertoire the same year after year. For example, we always sing Credo IV at FSSP.la.

I call this issue—which I have pondered for many years—the “Meadowlark Phenomenon.” How do you solve it? Please leave your comments on the CCW Facebook.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   It’s standard practice for hunters to end the suffering of a wounded animal.

2   And I have no intention to find out.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Meadowlark Phenomenon 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

    “Music List” • 4th Sunday of Easter (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 4th Sunday of Easter (11 May 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. I don’t know a more gorgeous ENTRANCE CHANT than the one given there: Misericórdia Dómini Plena Est Terra.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 4th Sunday of Easter
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 4th Sunday of Easter (11 May 2025). Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. The English adaptation matches the authentic version (Misericórdia Dómini), which is in a somber yet gorgeous mode. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music List • “Repertoire for Weddings”
    Not everyone thinks about sacred music 24/7 like we do. When couples are getting married, they often request “suggestions” or “guidance” or a “template” for their musical selections. I created this music list with repertoire suggestions for Catholic weddings. Please feel free to download it if you believe it might give you some ideas or inspiration.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

“Those who are trying to improve the quality of congregational singing cannot refuse to Gregorian chant the place which is due to it.”

— Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship (14 April 1974)

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