Views from the Choir Loft

“Tantum Ergo” • Eleven (11) Harmonizations

Jeff Ostrowski · April 8, 2016

F YOU WERE FORCED TO SIT DOWN and take an examination—from memory only—do you think you could write out a literal translation of the “Tantum Ergo,” which you have undoubtedly sung zillions of times for Benediction? If not, download this:

* * PDF • TANTUM ERGO (Congregational)

If you have a really good organist—one who doesn’t hit wrong notes and doesn’t slow down the tempo when they struggle with the pedals—give them this accompaniment:

* * PDF • TANTUM ERGO (Organ Accompaniment)

If your organist is still learning, consider the version found in the ORGAN EDITION of the Saint Edmund Campion Hymnal:

* * PDF • TANTUM ERGO (Campion Hymnal, Organist Edition)

Here are nine (9) more versions, but be careful—the melodies don’t always match perfectly the version found in the Campion Hymnal:

* * PDF • TANTUM ERGO (Nine More Versions)

Look how Fr. Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923) presents this beautiful hymn, and notice how he prefers “u” instead of “v” in Latin:

* * PDF • TANTUM ERGO (Rev. Fortescue)

If you haven’t seen the way BENEDICTION is presented in the Jogues Illuminated Missal, I would encourage you to do so. It’s gorgeous, and includes both Latin & English.

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

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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski