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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

Turning Off the Air Conditioning

Fr. David Friel · September 25, 2016

T BUGS ME when people use air conditioning needlessly. Fall officially arrived last week, and the weather has been quite favorable here in DC recently. My windows have been open continuously for several days, and I have been able to study, pray, and sleep comfortably with nothing more than fresh air and a ceiling fan. Even in the car, riding around with the windows down has been more than adequately comfortable during these days.

Walking around campus, though, one hears air conditioners running in in the windows of many dormitories, classrooms, and offices. Not only is this a waste of resources, it means that many folks are missing out on the natural beauty of early autumn weather. That saddens me a bit.

Air conditioners, of course, can be a very good thing. Having sweated through many summer liturgies in open air chapels and having tried to sleep while camping in muggy environments, I have no personal vendetta against air conditioning wisely used. But when the weather is inviting, instead of oppressive, my preference is always for untreated air.

These are more than meteorological observations. They have bearing on the present state of parish liturgical music. Allow me to draw the analogy.

The Roman Rite possesses a native music that is rich, beautiful, and perfectly suited to its liturgical ceremony. This music—Gregorian chant—consists of ordinary and proper elements that are more than simply historical. These chants are integral to the rite.

Indeed, the rite developed along with its music, so intimately are they connected. It would hardly be proper even to speak about the Roman Rite and its music as though they were separate entities, for the music of the Roman Rite is part of the rite, itself. The rite and its music are symbiotic.

Based on the experience of contemporary parish practice, of course, the average Mass goer would have no knowledge of this music that is so central to Roman worship. For decades, the Mass has been celebrated in our churches with foreign music, to the impoverishment of the liturgy.

It is not that the perfectly suited music does not exist. It’s all easily available (now with vernacular versions, free Internet resources, and even video tutorials). It has simply been ignored.

The state of affairs is not unlike the hypothetical situation of a person who has been locked up in an air-conditioned room for half a century without realizing that the air outside has been perfectly comfortable all the while. Instead of trying artificially to manufacture the perfectly temperate environment indoors (“climate control”), it would have been wiser for that person to notice and appreciate the perfectly suitable weather just outside the window all along.

Instead of forcing foreign music forms upon the Mass, it would be wiser for music directors to become familiar with the chants that belong to the great “treasury” of the Church.

In a modern culture that is obsessed with “going organic” with food, one might expect that people would have an inclination toward the natural air conditioning of open windows. Indeed, more often than not, I think that people leave the air conditioning on during beautiful fall weather without much thought. When the air conditioner has been on all summer long, it is easy to leave it running unconsciously, without even thinking to turn it off.

I am convinced that most people, if they realized they could do without air conditioning on a particular day, would happily choose to open the windows. This gives me great hope.

How so? Because it means that it is reasonable to expect that music directors, if exposed to the liturgy’s native music, will happily choose to use it.

N.B.: Anyone interested in learning more about how to implement the authentic music of the Roman Rite in parish liturgies should plan to attend a conference at Dunwoodie that has just been announced: “Gregorian Chant in Pastoral Ministry and Religious Education.”

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Alius Cantus Aptus, Authentic Liturgical Renewal Reform, Beauty in the Catholic Liturgy, Gregorian Chant, Hymns Replacing Propers, Propers, Singing the Mass Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “21 September 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 21 September 2025) discusses some theological items—supported by certain verses in ancient Catholic hymns—and ends by explaining why certain folks become delirious with jealousy when they observe feats by Monsignor Ronald Knox.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
    It’s always amusing to see old diocesan newspapers—in huge capital letters—advertising the Cheapest Catholic Paper in the United States. The correspondent who sent this to me added: “I can think of certain composers, published by large companies in our own day, who could truthfully brag about the most tawdry compositions in the world!” I wonder what she could have meant by such a cryptic comment…
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Dom Murray Harmonies
    Along with so many others, I have deep respect for Dom Gregory Gregory Murray, who produced this clever harmonization (PDF) of “O SANCTISSIMA.” It’s always amazed me that Dom Gregory—a truly inspired composer—was so confused when it came to GREGORIAN CHANT. Throughout his life, he published contradictory statements, veering back-and-forth like a weather vane. Toward the end of his life, he declared: “I see clearly that the need for reform in liturgical music arose, not in the 18th and 19th centuries, but a thousand years earlier—in the 8th and 9th centuries, or even before that. The abuses began, not with Mozart and Haydn, but with those over-enthusiastic medieval musicians who developed the elaborate and flamboyant Gregorian Chant.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Karl Keating • “Canonization Questions”
    We were sent an internet statement (screenshot) that’s garnered significant attention, in which KARL KEATING (founder of Catholic Answers) speaks about whether canonizations are infallible. Mr. Keating seems unaware that canonizations are—in the final analysis—a theological opinion. They are not infallible, as explained in this 2014 article by a priest (with a doctorate in theology) who worked for multiple popes. Mr. Keating says: “I’m unaware of such claims arising from any quarter until several recent popes disliked by these Traditionalists were canonized, including John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. Usually Paul VI receives the most opprobrium.” Mr. Keating is incorrect; e.g. Father John Vianney, several centuries ago, taught clearly that canonizations are not infallible. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen would be another example, although clearly much more recent than Saint John Vianney.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Vatican II Changed Wedding Propers?
    It’s often claimed that the wedding propers were changed after Vatican II. As a matter of fact, that is a false claim. The EDITIO VATICANA propers (Introit: Deus Israel) remained the same after Vatican II. However, a new set of propers (Introit: Ecce Deus) was provided for optional use. The same holds true for the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great on 3 September: the 1943 propers (Introit: Si díligis me) were provided for optional use, but the traditional PROPRIA MISSAE (Introit: Sacerdótes Dei) were retained; they weren’t gotten rid of. The Ordo Cantus Missae (1970) makes this crystal clear, as does the Missal itself. There was an effort made in the post-conciliar years to eliminate so-called “Neo-Gregorian” chants, but (contrary to popular belief) most were retained: cf. the feast of Christ the King, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and so forth.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“However well equipped and trained a choir may be, all its good points may be obscured by an unsuitable accompaniment. In fact the organist can, in a large measure, either make or mar his choir. It must be owned, however, that the accompanist of Plainsong has to contend with many difficulties. […] The purist will still find his best enjoyment of the chant when it is sung unaccompanied, but to most a becoming accompaniment gives an added charm.”

— Benedictines of Stanbrook (1905)

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