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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Liturgical Language Barriers

Veronica Brandt · April 1, 2017

Lincoln Cathedral JUST RECENTLY A FRIEND and fellow Catholic homeschooler expressed concern about singing in Latin. She felt her family not experienced enough to accomplish this. This shocked me and revealed my underlying assumption that the whole point of Catholic homeschooling is to devote time to the study of Latin and Sacred Music.

Once I reflected a little about this I realized the folly of my position, and the enormity of our distance from the ideals assumed in the Second Vatican Council of the primacy of Latin and chant.

Not that Catholic homeschoolers are necessarily more enlightened than regular Catholics. Homeschooling is more an absence of external schooling rather than a thing in itself. There is no compulsory boot-camp for prospective homeschool parents – it is all learning on the job.

Back to Language Barriers.

Latin as a liturgical language is a very useful mechanism for transcending space and time and uniting our worship with people around the world and across the centuries.

But it takes a little learning.

Not too much learning! You don’t need to conjugate or decline in order to pray a Pater Noster. A simple word for word translation will suffice.

The main thing to learn is how to make sounds out of printed Latin words. Fortunately a few simple rules go a long way to making this possible. Learn the rules and practice reading aloud and it will take root and become easy.

Here is a short video (2.5 minutes) that covers the most used features of Church Latin pronunciation. The remaining rules can be introduced as needed. Here my daughter is 7 months old.



 

UPDATE: a reader sent this list of pronunciation videos for the Ordinaries of the Mass. Great to listen and watch to make that connection between the written words and the sounds.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

It was thought important that the song should actually accompany the distribution of Communion. A Carolingian explanation of the Mass remarks that during the Communion “soft melody should touch the ear [of the faithful] so that hearing this sound they would busy themselves less with distracting thoughts and … their hearts would be moved to humble love for that which they receive.”

— Father Josef Andreas Jungmann

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