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Views from the Choir Loft

Two Articles Worth Reading

Fr. David Friel · April 2, 2017

ASSIONTIDE is a busy time for church music types. Nevertheless, I am daring to propose two worthwhile (and brief) articles to read. They have different authors and subjects, but both are timely and insightful.

The first is an op-ed published two days ago by Bishop Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln. Entitled “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi,” the short article introduces a number of themese central to the act of divine worship. After summarizing the purpose and significance of the Church’s liturgy, Bishop Conley turns to the subject of Liturgiam authenticam, which celebrates its 16th anniversary this week. Recent news stories, of course, have suggested that the document, which concerns (among other things) liturgical translations, may undergo review, so this piece is well timed. Praising Liturgiam authenticam for the priority it places on fidelity to the deposit of faith, Bishop Conley writes:

Liturgical worship does much more than simply deliver information about God. It forms our hearts and our minds and our imaginations, to give us a keen sense of the supernatural in our midst. Liturgical worship, in a very real way, transcends time and space; it takes us from this world, and puts us in contact with the divine.

Read the full piece on the diocesan website.

My second reading recommendation is a piece that Catholic News Service first ran on St. Patrick’s Day. Entitled “The Empty Chaos of Today’s Art Might Be Telling Us Something,” the article hails from the pen of Dr. John Garvey, President of The Catholic University of America. In my time thus far at CUA, I have been impressed by the genuine faith of the students, the Catholic identity of the place (CUA is the largest school listed on the Newman Guide), and the good example of faith and reason set by President Garvey. His reflections on the void in much contemporary art is not simply critical, but also perceptive. Reflecting on the distinction between ordered and formless art, the author observes:

Traditional artistic forms impose an order on the world, and offer us a way to understand it and appreciate its beauty. The point of postmodern art is to dispense with these structures and bring us face to face with brute reality.

Garvey notes that he has considered forming a Fine Arts Council at CUA, the purpose of which body would be to “rebel against” the worldview that sees reality as fundamentally chaotic, shapeless, and undeveloped. I will be interested to see if this council comes to pass. In the meantime, I highly suggest reading the full piece.

For a longer read on a similar subject, permit me a third recommendation: Art in Crisis: The Lost Center, by Hans Sedlmayr. In this full-length book, Sedlmayr (a respected art historian of the twentieth century) chronicles the decline of the arts up to the modern period. The “lost center” he openly laments is the divine, which has grown more and more divorced from artistic expression.

If the coming two weeks are too busy for this kind of reading, then save these articles in a browser tab and read them in the Easter season. They promise to be worth your while!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty, Bishop James Douglas Conley, Liturgiam Authenticam, Traditional Catholic Artwork 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Even after 1600 A.D.—despite major changes in musical taste—the compositions of Father Cristóbal de Morales were reprinted at Venice. Indeed, and as late as 1619 A.D. one Venetian publisher found his magnificats still in sufficient demand to make a profitable commercial venture out of issuing a new transcribed version for equal voices.”

— Dr. Robert Murrell Stevenson (d. 2012)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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