Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Cantus Varii” (469 Pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · February 21, 2017

HEN WE ANNOUNCED the upcoming Symposium, reference was made to a remarkable “revolution” that’s happened over 20+ years with regard to reclaiming authentic Roman Catholic liturgy. Another piece has been added—the Church Music Association of America has carefully scanned and posted this book:

* * PDF • “Cantus Varii” (Solesmes, 1928)

Many rare chants in this book were omitted from “Cantus Selecti” (1957) and the “Liber Cantualis” (1995). The Sequence beginning on page 208 (“Sálve díes diérum glória”) is particularly charming. It would later be included—with a bunch of ictus added—in the Ordo Hebdomadae Sanctae printed in 1961 by Solesmes.

Whoever donated this book appears to have favored English for this chant:

What would the tune’s composer—Dom Pothier—have thought of that?

(If anyone owns this book, perhaps they could donate the pages which have been vandalized with English. I suspect the CMAA would replace those pages right readily.)

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

About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski