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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

The Frontier of Liturgical Composition

Richard J. Clark · July 1, 2016

Y DESK IS A mess—a veritable disaster. Once every few months, whether it needs it or not, I clear off and reorganize my desk. I can then remember what color it is. I usually find a few old drafts of compositions. However, my filing system is highly efficient. Everything’s out.

Germane to the discussion of my working environment: Last week, Veronica Brandt wrote a brilliant article: It’s not about talent. She hits home her point here: “In short, talent just doesn’t come into it. The thing that makes music happen is lots and lots of work.” Very few see the work behind the final product. Some make it look easy, but it never is. The work is a form of service. Talent without work leads to artistic and personal atrophy. One may never blossom into the mature artist on talent alone. Hard work sometimes over the course of decade, is the only way to make a small difference in the world.

Understanding that our work is service to God, the liturgy, and to humanity, composition is a form of service, especially if approached in a certain way. While it is important to develop one’s own voice, the function of a work is primary. Self-glorification cancels out a true sense of purpose. Today, this true purpose is to help the faithful pray the words of the Mass, and not to be a form of personal self-expression. This may be a dangerous frontier, to be certain. But in the end, we will find God at our center.

ORE THAN FIFTY YEARS after the Second Vatican Council, the frontier of composition is clearly producing new settings of the propers in the vernacular, useful for a typical parish. This is not unlike the time immediately after the Second Vatican Council. The frontier of liturgical composition then was the need for settings in the vernacular to be sung by a congregation. In the United States, this elicited results in the 1970s ranging from the St. Louis Jesuits to Theodore Marier. Then what was the frontier became the norm.

But now, many of us are aware of the awakening of “singing the Mass” rather than “singing at Mass.” Many, many composers have tackled the propers. As such, singing the propers—an integral part of singing the Mass—is slowly making its way into the mainstream.

Dr. Jerry Galipeau, Vice President and Chief Publishing Officer at J. S. Paluch Company and World Library Publications, recently wrote in his blog Gotta Sing Gotta Pray:

”…the introduction of the proper communion antiphons is still a work in progress. I believe it takes years for this practice to really become a part of the music at Mass. This was a great example of “singing the Mass,” rather than “singing at Mass.”

While I have been working on Communion propers for the entire year (more to come out soon with WLP) my desk is a colossal mess because of all my reference books to do this work. Others did the work before me: recent publications from Adam Bartlett, Richard Rice especially are constant reference materials. The publications from Solesmes have been a constant companion.

The work is also a form of prayer. Meditate on the Antiphons and type in every work of the psalm verses and you cannot help but be transformed. Obsess and constantly revise harmonizations and stay awake longer at night to make a tiny contribution that might be useful to some modest parish somewhere? I hope it is prayer. I hope it is of service to some. But service is what God asks of us every single day of our lives.

Soli Deo gloria

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th 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 dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on which source text is chosen and what each translator wants to emphasize. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“To speak the language of God’s beauty, we must first begin to listen. And to listen, we must have silence in our lives. I pray that God will open our eyes and ears to beauty, and help us use it in the service of the Truth.”

— Bishop James D. Conley (10/4/2013)

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