Views from the Choir Loft

“Simple Kyriale” for Dumb Organists Like Me!

Jeff Ostrowski · August 25, 2016

NE OF THE THINGS you learn as choirmaster is that doing easy music well is better than performing complicated music poorly. That’s why I think our readers will find the following book of organ accompaniments helpful. Close to a decade ago, this book was posted in the Lalande Library, which you should explore when you have time. Most of the books found there came from my personal collection, but this particular book came from the generous heart of MR. TED KRASNICKI.

It’s a groovy little book from 1937 that can be “tossed” in front of an amateur organist:

* * PDF Download • 1937 SIMPLE KYRIALE

Here’s a sample page:

When I want to scare my (excellent) organist, I threaten her: “I can play that one, if you like.” While it’s true that I do a decent job as organist if I practice in advance, I hardly ever have time. Remember: an organist must not only play all the correct notes—the registration must also be correct! And correct registration depends on many different factors.

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