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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 “Cantiones Sacrae” of William Byrd & Thomas Tallis

Fr. David Friel · October 30, 2016

HIS MONTH I attended a wonderful lecture by the eminent church historian, Eamon Duffy. Dr. Duffy is undoubtedly most famous for his 1992 book, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, 1400-1580, which revolutionized his field’s understanding of Tudor English piety.

The lecture was hosted at The Catholic University of America, which presented Duffy with the Johannes Quasten Medal, an annual academic award presented by the university’s School of Theology and Religious Studies. The title of the lecture was “Praying the Counter-Reformation in Elizabethan England,” and its focus was the tradition of vernacular prayer manuals in Britain before and after Trent.

What interested me most, however, was a brief aside mentioned in the lecture. Duffy brought up the joint project published by William Byrd and Thomas Tallis in 1575. This collaborative work is commonly known as the Cantiones sacrae (although the formal title is actually Cantiones quae ab argumento sacrae vocantur). Written in honor of the seventeenth year of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, the collection features 17 motets from each of the two composers.

Historically, the Cantiones sacrae were a financial failure. In his lecture, Duffy suggested a theory for why they were not a successful publication. He began by noting the titles of some of the motets:

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna

Miserere mihi Domine

Tribune Domine

Te deprecor

Da mihi auxilium

Domine secundum actum meum

Memento homo

O lux beata Trinitas

If one examines the texts of these and the other motets in the collection, Duffy argued, it becomes apparent that they reflect some very Catholic themes. In particular, the theme of prayer for the dead recurs in several of the pieces; another clear theme is God’s mercy as it applies to the works of man. Duffy made the point that these rather Catholic texts may serve as an explanation for why the Cantiones sacrae were not well received in the post-Reformation period during which they were published.

This theory is especially believable in light of the scholarly research showing that Byrd grew increasingly active with Catholicism beginning in the early 1570’s. Queen Elizabeth is said to have mostly overlooked Byrd’s Catholicism. The failure of his 1575 collection, however, shows that it was perhaps not overlooked by the contemporary music market.

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 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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President’s Corner

    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 what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —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

“I never cared a tinker’s cuss what the Congregation may have decided about the order in which the acolyte should put out the candles after Vespers.”

— Dr. Adrian Fortescue (24 Nov. 1919)

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