Views from the Choir Loft

Cardinal Sarah Visits The Monastery of Solesmes

Corpus Christi Watershed · November 23, 2016

OBERT CARDINAL SARAH currently serves Pope Francis as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. His Eminence visited the monastery of Solesmes toward the beginning of November:

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks J

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks I

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks H

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks G

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks F

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks E

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks D

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks B

6782 Cardinal Sarah Visits Solesmes Monks A

The Monastery of Solesmes has shared the following:

* * PDF Download • Robert Cardinal Sarah (6 November 2016)

* * PDF Download • Robert Cardinal Sarah (13 November 2016)

A few decades ago, the monks of Solesmes moved away from the theories of Dom Mocquereau, experimenting with other theories. Recently, however—under Dom Bruno—the monastery has returned to the “classic Solesmes” approach. Indeed, their most recent major publication, the 2012 Gregorian Missal, preserves 100% of the original ictus markings placed by Dom Mocquereau circa 1908. Many monks praise God at the Abbey of Solesmes, including the son of Leo B. Bozell (a friend of William F. Buckley Jr. and founder of TRIUMPH, a Roman Catholic magazine).

Julia Garcia contributed to this article.

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

3 June 2021 • Re: “Mass of the Angels”

In the past, we have provided thirteen organ accompaniments to Mass VIII (a.k.a. “Missa de Angelis”). Some versions of the KYRIALE use the melody from Sanctus VIII for Agnus VIII also. Dr. Peter Wagner’s 1903 edition of the KYRIALE does this, as we mentioned earlier this month. Please sing through Sanctus VIII and then sing O Quam Suavis Est from the feast of Corpus Christi. Do you hear it?

—Jeff Ostrowski

1 June 2021 • Unsure of Author

The editors of this 1667AD Missale Romanum weren’t sure who wrote the VEXILLA REGIS hymn, so they wrote this in the margin. (To be fair, the original text by Bishop Fortunatus was greatly altered under Pope Urban VIII.)

—Jeff Ostrowski

24 May 2021 • FEEDBACK

M.B. wrote to us: “Dear Corpus Christi Watershed: please keep posting beautiful hymns! You have no idea just how helpful it is to me! God bless the work and efforts that you pour into making the liturgy more beautiful for God’s glory!”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a heavenly body, for it spun round on itself in a mad whirl, when suddenly a clamor was heard from all the people. The sun, whirling, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was terrible.”

— ‘Dr. Almeida Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra (1917)’