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Views from the Choir Loft

Francisco Guerrero • “Hymn To The Sacred Trinity” (SATB with Plainsong)

Jeff Ostrowski · February 9, 2016

EADY FOR THE HYMN CHALLENGE? FIRST, spend some time familiarizing yourself with this beautiful melody (unless you already know it). If you prefer, you can use a version by Pustet that is probably closer to what Guerrero sang. SECOND, scroll down and sing through the individual parts—especially the Bass, Alto, and Soprano. THIRD, locate the Canon in the final section. FOURTH, see if you agree that this one is the most incredible hymn you’ve never heard!

    * *  PDF Download • “HYMN TO THE SACRED TRINITY” (Francisco Guerrero)

I recorded all the voices myself, to give you an idea how it sounds. Needless to say, a real choir would sound much nicer:


This melody was set polyphonically by numerous masters: Marenzio, Palestrina, Anerio, Victoria, and so forth. Indeed, these two settings (see above) are not the only ones by Guerrero. In our current liturgical books, this tune is a “Christmas” melody. Traditionally, however, the same tune was used for numerous feasts: Epiphany, Holy Innocents, Saint Catherine, and especially NOVEMBER 1st (the Feast of All Saints). Here’s an All Saints hymn called “Jesu salvator saeculi” as found in an ancient manuscript:

781 “Jesu salvator saeculi”


Do you see how it uses that same hymn melody? In Guerrero’s time, this melody was used for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity—a “Spanish” tradition as far as I can tell. Fr. Andrew Green used that tune thusly in 1950. The Desclée/Westminster 1949 hymnal does something similar. And it can be seen in a 1524AD Sarum manuscript.

REHEARSAL VIDEOS :

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Audio

SOPRANO : YouTube   •   Audio

ALTO : YouTube   •   Audio

TENOR : YouTube   •   Audio

QUINTUS : YouTube   •   Audio   •   (2nd Half Only)

BASS : YouTube   •   Audio

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Te Mane Laudum Carmine Last Updated: October 26, 2024

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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

    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —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

“The Chasuble, or upper garment, represents the purple garment which the soldiers put upon Jesus Christ, and the heavy cross that He carried on His blessed shoulders to Mount Calvary.”

— Guide for the Laity (1875)

Recent Posts

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  • “My First Year with the Latin Mass” • A Music Director’s Perspective
  • Boston Auxiliary Bishop: “In offering the Traditional Mass for the first time, after removing the vestments, I knelt in the back pew and wept.”
  • Now Available! • “Hymns of Cardinal Newman: Kevin Allen’s Legendary Choral Settings”
  • Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

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