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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

Archives for January 2017

Fr. David Friel · January 15, 2017

Cosmic Harmony

Thoughts from Saint Athanasius

Jeff Ostrowski · January 14, 2017

Ratzinger talks “Ad Orientem” (2003)

Cardinal Ratzinger’s English is *fantastic* (as this video shows).

Veronica Brandt · January 14, 2017

Forget the First Note, give me the Do

A tip for sight-reading chant – start with a Do La Fa to anchor your ear and find the starting note from the tonic.

Richard J. Clark · January 13, 2017

Nuptial Blessings • Practice Videos • Order of Celebrating Matrimony

Fr. Gaspar eloquently emphasis key words and phrases, underscoring the beauty of the sacrament.

Corpus Christi Watershed · January 12, 2017

Fr. Magiera Reviews The Campion Hymnal

“These renderings are accompanied by beautiful photos so even the novice should be able to follow the Mass rather easily.”

Andrew Leung · January 12, 2017

The Role of Catholic Church Choir

Keep God as the center of the choir and direct our music towards Him.

Corpus Christi Watershed · January 11, 2017

Practice Tracks • Ainslie’s “English Proper Chants”

Want a reliable and accessible way to learn the John Ainslie “English Proper Chants” for your parish choir? Subscribe for *free* weekly practice videos!

Jeff Ostrowski · January 10, 2017

Musical Resources • 2nd Sunday after Epiphany

“May this Communion, O Lord, cleanse us from sin…”

Dr. Lucas Tappan · January 10, 2017

When to Teach Children to Sight-Read Plainsong

Children can and should be taught Gregorian chant by hearing and repeating—but this binds them to singing only what they have memorized.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 9, 2017

“Ten Commandments” • for the Choirmaster

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Richard J. Clark · January 6, 2017

Recording of Announcement of Easter and Movable Feasts • 2017

A very helpful recording for anyone singing this in English for the Ordinary Form.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 6, 2017

PDF Download • Epiphany Booklet (FSSP.la)

To match the ancient acrostic, Erasmus changed the first line to “Herodis Hostes.”

Jeff Ostrowski · January 5, 2017

Best Mystery Movie Of All Time!

Every so often, we stumble across true excellence. Here’s a prime example.

Andrew Leung · January 5, 2017

PDF Download • “Missa de Angelis” (Fr. Castro)

Fr. Áureo Castro’s setting alternates the chant melody and the choral parts.

Fr. David Friel · January 3, 2017

The Hallowed Name 1

To Use or Not to Use?

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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)
    The COMMUNION ANTIPHON for this coming Sunday, which is the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A), is particularly beautiful. There’s something irresistible about this tone; it’s neither happy nor sad. As always, I encourage readers to visit the flourishing feasts website, where the complete Propria Missae may be downloaded free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Flowers
    Good Friday has a series of prayers for various parties: the pope, catechumens, pagans, heretics, schismatics, and so forth. In the old liturgical books, there was no official ‘name’ for these prayers. (This wasn’t unusual as ‘headers’ and ‘titles’ for each section is a rather modern idea.) The Missal simply instructed the priest to go to the Epistle side and begin. In the SHERBORNE MISSAL, each prayer begins with a different—utterly spectacular—flower. This PDF file shows the first few prayers. Has anyone counted the ‘initial’ drop-cap flowers in the SHERBORNE MISSAL? Surely there are more than 1,000.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music List • (3rd Sunday of Lent)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 3rd Sunday of Lent (8 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its stern INTROIT (“Óculi mei semper ad Dóminum”) is breathtaking, and the COMMUNION (“Qui bíberit aquam”) with its fauxbourdon verses is wonderful. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Dies Irae” • A Monstrous Translation
    It isn’t easy to determine what Alice King MacGilton hoped to accomplish with her very popular book—A Study of Latin Hymns (1918)—which continued to be reprinted in new editions for at least 34 years. This PDF file shows her attempt to translate the DIES IRAE “in the fewest words possible.” There’s a place for dynamic equivalency, but this is repugnant. In particular, look what she does to “Quærens me sedísti lassus.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”
    For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Grotesque Pairing • “Passion Chorale”
    One of our rarest releases was undoubtably this PDF scan of the complete Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) by Father Joseph Roff, a student of Healey Willan. One of the scarcest titles in existence, this book was provided to us by Mr. Peter Meggison. Back in 2018, we scanned each page and uploaded it to our website, making it freely available to everyone. Readers are probably sick of hearing me say this, but just because we upload something that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wonderful or worthy of imitation. We upload many publications precisely because they are ‘grotesque’, interesting, or revealing. Whereas the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal had an editorial board that was careful and sensitive vis-à-vis pairing texts with tunes, the Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) seems to have been rather reckless in this regard. Please take a look at what they did with the PASSION CHORALE and see whether you agree.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Pope Gelasius in his 9th Letter to the Bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been introduced of women serving the priest at the celebration of Mass. Since this abuse had spread to the Greeks, Innocent IV strictly forbade it in his letter to the Bishop of Tusculum: “Women should not dare to serve at the altar; they should be altogether refused this ministry.” We too have forbidden this practice in the same words in Our oft-repeated constitution “Etsi Pastoralis” (§6, #21)

— Pope Benedict XIV • Encyclical “Allatae Sunt” (26 July 1755)

Recent Posts

  • Consultor to the Vatican Council Enters the Fray • (Vis-à-vis Jeff’s Pipe Organ Assertion)
  • Palm Sunday • “Repertoire for Children’s Choir”
  • PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)
  • Most “Congregational” Hymn • (In My Experience)
  • Music is the “Humble Handmaid” of the Mass

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