• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

  • About
  • Symposium
  • Hymnal
  • Jogues Missal
  • Site Map
  • Donate
Views from the Choir Loft

Does Gregorian Chant Work In English?

Jeff Ostrowski · May 4, 2016

525 King David Psalter OME CLAIM the darkest period for plainsong in Catholic churches was the 1980s, and it would be difficult to argue with them. Growing up in the late ’80s and early ’90s, I can assure you that my large (rich) parish was innocent of even the thought of Gregorian chant. During those dark years, several journals dealing with early music published articles with misguided titles like: “Which is more important in Gregorian chant: Words or Music?”

These authors felt one must “win” and the other must “lose.” They were at a disadvantage because they only knew the laws of more recent composers—Baroque, Classical, and so forth—who treated the text a certain way. Trying to make sense out of plainsong, many concluded the words must win. Yet, had they looked more carefully, they would have discovered thousands of passages which don’t fit their a priori theory:

    * *  PDF Download • Demonstration on the Gregorian Tonic Accent

In other words, Gregorian composers often treated the text as a whole, not as individual syllables. Dom Gajard said it best in 1950:

“One does not compose in order to set every word to music, but in order to translate into music a single idea expressed in a number of words. In a musical phrase, each element is a part of the whole and must take its own place in that whole: for instance, the word coeli in SANCTUS IX, or the word Domini in the BENEDICTUS of Mass XI, and so forth. Here, the melodic line must be given first place, according to the ancient adage: Musica non subjacet regulis Donati.”

A student of Roger Wagner put it this way: “Gregorian rhythm is inherently musical in nature.”

MOST PLAINSONG SETTINGS now appearing in English favor the “Baroque method” of tonic accent treatment. In my opinion, that’s just fine—because plainsong examples can be found to support such an approach. (Remember, the Gregorian corpus is mammoth, and developed over a millennium.) However, I believe that as time goes on, composers who adapt Gregorian chant into the vernacular will begin to dig deeper into the authentic plainsong repertoire. A desire will form in their hearts to “steal” the mysterious, spiritual, sophisticated, unpredictable technique of the Gregorian composers. As the decades roll on, we will begin to see English settings which look more like the examples in that chart (see above).

I’m old enough to remember when composers were afraid to adapt Gregorian chant because the GIRM seemed to imply that approval by the local bishop is required. On 20 November 2012, the Bishops’ Liturgy Committee stated publicly what had been happening behind closed doors for half a century. Specifically, they said that—according to them—certain parts of the GIRM can be ignored. While I personally disagree with their interpretation, I’m glad that what’s been happening for 50 years has finally been acknowledged publicly.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

Subscribe to the CCW Mailing List

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).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The representative Protestant collection, entitled “Hymns, Ancient and Modern”—in substance a compromise between the various sections of conflicting religious thought in the Establishment—is a typical instance. That collection is indebted to Catholic writers for a large fractional part of its contents. If the hymns be estimated which are taken from Catholic sources, directly or imitatively, the greater and more valuable part of its contents owes its origin to the Church.

— Orby Shipley (1884)

Recent Posts

  • 19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”
  • “Gregorian Chant Not In Danger Pope Tells French”
  • PDF Download • “O Salutaris” (Modern Setting)
  • Summer Ward Method Courses • CUA 2022
  • PDF Download • 2022 “Vespers Booklet” (99 Pages)

Copyright © 2022 Corpus Christi Watershed · Gabriel Lalemant on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.