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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

Guest Article: “Why That Hymn Doesn’t Work”

Guest Author · September 5, 2016

Note: As a volunteer who loves liturgy but lacks formal training in music, I rely on advice from CCW contributors regarding guest articles. The following submission by Fr. Thompson was interesting because, while several contributors were critical, they unanimously said, “But please post it, because thoughtful articles like this generate beneficial discussion.” Feel free to let Fr. Thompson know your thoughts here. —J. G.


149 Hymnal OST OF US involved with parish music don’t have doctorates in musicology or in the history of liturgy. So how can we convincingly articulate our objections to particular pieces of music, whether hymns or Mass settings? I offer twelve criteria to aid in communicating precisely why you find certain music suitable or unsuitable for use at Mass. Certainly it is better to bring clear principles to the discussion rather than simply shouting, “Because I don’t like it!”

These criteria fall into two categories: Music (criteria 1-8) and Lyrics (criteria 9-12). Each criterion has two poles; the closer to Pole 1 the more suitable for congregational singing, the closer to Pole 2 the less suitable.

Criterion 1 : Range.

Pole 1 Less than an octave; Pole 2 More than an octave.

Criterion 2 : Maximum Intervals.

Pole 1 A Perfect 5th or less; Pole 2 Greater than a Perfect 5th.

Criterion 3 : Syncopation.

Pole 1 No syncopation; Pole 2 Highly syncopated.

Criterion 4 : Accidentals.

Pole 1 No accidentals; Pole 2 Chromaticisms.

Criterion 5 : Metrical Variation.

Pole 1 No variation; Pole 2 One or mere meter changes.

Criterion 6 : Proportion of Maximum to Minimum Note Length.

Pole 1 Two to one; Pole 2 Four (or more) to one.

Criterion 7 : Stylistic Genre.

Pole 1 Dedicated sacred; Pole 2 Secular/popular.

Criterion 8 : Congruent Connection with Liturgical Action.

Pole 1 Consistent compatibility; Pole 2 Disparity.

Criterion 9 : Enunciation.

Pole 1 Easy to declaim; Pole 2 difficult to declaim.

Criterion 10 : Aesthetic Beauty.

Pole 1 Poetic/evocative; Pole 2 Prosaic/trite.

Criterion 11 : Conformity to Church Teaching.

Pole 1 Unimpeachably orthodox; Pole 2 Doctrinally sketchy.

Criterion 12 : Wisdom & Theological Depth.

Pole 1 Expresses profound universal truth; Pole 2 Expresses moralistic platitudes.

We would award an excellent degree of suitability to those musical selections which have the higher number of criteria that are closer to Pole 1 than Pole 2. A preponderance of criteria closer to Pole 2 would be deemed not very suitable for use in the liturgy. For example, a highly syncopated and chromatic melody of wide range, containing 3 metrical changes, in a recognizably popular style whose lyrics are trite and cliched, would not be very suitable. Whereas a selection having an easy range of less than an octave, an uncomplicated meter whose musical style is recognizably that of sacred music, distinctly fits the liturgical action of its place in the Mass, and is poetic and theologically rich as well, would be highly suitable for use in the liturgy.

My hope is that these criteria help us all more readily articulate the relative worth of music proposed for Mass.


We hope you enjoyed this guest article by Fr. James Thompson, O.P.

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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President’s Corner

    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th 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 top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Little Encouragement?
    In the Gospel, our Savior tells about 10 lepers who were healed. Only one went back to give thanks. Precious few express gratitude, yet many have endless energy to complain. For that reason, I deeply appreciate receiving messages like the following, which arrived a few days ago (about the parish where I direct in Michigan): “Last Sunday, a couple I knew from Grand Rapids was at Mass at 10:00 a.m. I got a chance to talk to them after Mass. I wanted to let you know what they said about the choir. They were absolutely floored by our sound!!!!! They both said they could continuously listen to our choir and the beauty of it. They asked me: “Do you always sound like that?” And they were also very surprised at how packed the church was. They said it was nice for them to be in such a full church. I just thought you would be interested to know their thoughts about our choir.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

Random Quote

“There’s a world of difference between a thoughtful, wise Catholic and a bitter contrarian. In spite of what is claimed on certain blogs, being addicted to cable news and twitter does not make one an intellectual.”

— Jeff Ostrowski

Recent Posts

  • Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
  • “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
  • Little Encouragement?
  • Children’s Repertoire • Mueller’s Recommendations

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