Views from the Choir Loft

Musical Resources • 4th Sunday after Epiphany

Jeff Ostrowski · January 24, 2017 ·

These musical programs are for FSSP.la, the new FSSP Apostolate in Los Angeles.

PROCESSIONAL

The organist will play.

ASPERGES

PDF Score (Singer) • Practice Audio (Singer) • Organist

We also add a polyphonic section, which is #4550.

INTROIT • Sung by the men.

PDF Score (Singer) • Practice Audio (Singer)

KYRIE ELEISON

We will sing #6995 (hopefully with the Christe section added).

We also know a KYRIE with three sections: #3347, #3661, and #7332.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS

We will sing #3610 (“Canonic”). We also know #7709 (“Viadana”).

GRADUAL & ALLELUIA

We will sing #7503 (an Alleluia by Victoria) with verses which we’ll practice on Sunday.

CREDO IV • Alternatim

We often sing this version: #3445. But sometimes we sing in unison.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON

PDF Score (Singer)

OFFERTORY OTHER

We will sing #6800 (“Cantique de Noël”) starting with the letter “H” — accompanied using this score.

SANCTUS & HOSANNA

We will sing #3496.

Choir members should be learning #6962 and #6926. Moreover, a false beginning can be used if the choir is ready for the Hosanna but not the Sanctus beginning.

AGNUS DEI

Here is the musical score. To learn this piece, visit this website and locate #2978. The words are different, but the music is the same.

COMMUNION FIRST

Organist plays as choir receives Holy Communion.

COMMUNION ADDITIONAL

“Nunc Sancte Nobis” Hymn (Newman Translation) is #7128.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON • Sung by the ladies.

PDF Score (Singer) • Practice Audio (Singer)

Accompanied from these markings, which the organist should print using a color printer.

RECESSIONAL HYMN • #819 As With Gladness Men Of Old

From the Campion Hymnal.

CHOIR PRAYER (from CAMPION HYMNAL) happens after attendance is taken:

Here’s the most common conclusion:

407 Christ Saves

About Jeff Ostrowski

A theorist, organist, and conductor, Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004), and did graduate work in Musicology. He serves as choirmaster for the new FSSP parish in Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife and children.

Could Pope St. Pius X Sing?

“On 12 March 1908, the complete publication of the Roman Gradual was issued by the Vatican Press. On that very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. A witness of the audience says that Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement pro aliquibus locis—it was the Introit of the new Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.” (Catholic Choirmaster, February 1915)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Julius Bas Accompaniment

A very prolific harmonizer of Gregorian chant in the early 20th century was Mr. Julius Bas. He often uses a very strange technique, wherein he employs rests to eliminate the Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Consider what he did with “Lumen ad revelationem” here:

* JPEG • Lumen ad revelationem

It seems quite lazy, and I’ve never seen anyone else use such a technique, although Dr. Peter Wagner often switched to parallel octaves when he ran out of ideas… (Yuck!)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Hitting wrong notes

Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, used to say: “The organist can play 1,000 correct notes and one wrong note—and the only thing people will care about is the wrong note.” Last Sunday I hit some wrong notes, and felt bad. Then I remembered a story about Rudolf Serkin and started to chuckle. Charles Rosen (or was it Leon Fleisher?) told the story of Serkin playing a Beethoven Sonata in front of a large audience. The theme is all in octaves; but Serkin hit some wrong notes, and played parallel 7ths instead. This so unnerved him that every time the theme returned, he played the entire thing in parallel 7ths! We must remember that even the greatest hit wrong notes. Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Sviatoslav Richter, Egon Petri—they all hit wrong notes, which we can hear on recordings. (Josef Hofmann was an exception, but he was super-human so he doesn’t count!)

—Jeff Ostrowski