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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

PDF Download • Monsignor Ronald A. Knox “The Trials Of A Translator” (1949)

Jeff Ostrowski · March 28, 2016

HAVE ALREADY admitted how much I admire Msgr. Ronald Knox as a writer. In essence, this 113-page book is an apologia for his famous translation of the Bible. 1 I hope you find this book as fascinating as I have:

* *  PDF • TRIALS OF A TRANSLATOR (1949)

The Italians have a phrase: “The translator is a traitor.” Some love the Knox Bible, others hate it. There will always be people who quibble with translations—no matter what. If you search hard enough on the internet, you can even find people who claim that the 1970s ICEL translation of the Roman Missal was more accurate than the current one. For myself, I don’t see how they can hold this view:

* *  PDF • COMPARISON CHART A

* *  PDF • COMPARISON CHART B

I’m fine with folks offering substantive criticisms of the current ICEL translation, which is far from perfect. However, I find interesting that the same people desperate to poke holes in the new translation never opposed things like:

* *  PDF • Theologically goofy hymn lyrics (Examples)

* *  PDF • 1996 Publication by NPM

By remaining silent on atrocities like that, they have disqualified themselves (in my opinion) from commenting on the new translation of the Roman Missal. 2

I probably spend too much time trying to find the “perfect” translations for my choir. If you look at the Hymn on page 35 of this Good Friday booklet you’ll catch my drift…

633 Monsignor Ronald A. Knox IMAGE

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The complete Knox Bible is available online.

2   For the record, many of these same people calmly accept rulings which say the GIRM can be ignored. The GIRM requires that any texts replacing the entrance antiphon must be approved by the local bishop or bishops’ conference.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Monsignor Ronald Knox Traditional Mass, On Englishing The Bible KNOX, Trials of a Translator 1949 Last Updated: February 7, 2025

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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

    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
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. 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

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

“Thus, by the celebration of a single Mass (in which he offers Jesus Christ in sacrifice), a priest gives greater honor to the Lord than if all men by dying for God offered to him the sacrifice of their lives. By a single Mass, he gives greater honor to God than all the angels and saints—along with the Blessed Virgin Mary—have given or shall give to him; for their worship cannot be of infinite value, like that which the priest celebrating on the altar offers to God.”

— Saint Alphonsus Liguori

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