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Views from the Choir Loft

Brace Yourself • “Raw” Recordings from Solemn Mass

Jeff Ostrowski · April 25, 2017

OSEF HOFMANN never cared much about recordings. We hear his playing mainly from “pirated” recordings—made without his knowledge—or from “test pressings” which end abruptly in the middle of a piece. It matters not; I’d rather hear one trill by Hofmann than everything Claudio Arrau ever recorded. Something remarkable happens when people don’t realize they’re being recorded. Yesterday, a generous lady posted some snippets of a Solemn High Mass that took place last Sunday. This was at the new FSSP Apostolate in Los Angeles. The singing was by our volunteer Latin Mass choir!

Eastertide Alleluia (before Gospel) with a setting by Victoria:


A live snippet from the procession:


Palestrina’s setting of the Sanctus:


A live snippet of the “Vidi Aquam,” intoned by Fr. Gerard Saguto, our District Superior:


The Sung “Confiteor,” before the Reception of Holy Communion. 1


Organ interlude during the Offertory:


The lovely setting of “O Filii et Filiae” by Msgr. Jules Van Nuffel:


Snippet of the “Agnus Dei” by Guillaume Du Fay (d. 1474) using the same CANTUS FIRMUS as the Alleluia by Victoria (see above):


The microphones never do justice to the choral sound. For example, listen to how the ladies sound in the following clip, from Viadan’s GLORIA. I was there. I can assure you sounded 50 billion times more glorious in real life. This recording does not accurately represent the choral sound. I was there.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Fr. Ronald Krisman, formerly Executive Director of the Bishops’ Liturgy Committee, has asserted that the “Prayers at the Foot of the Altar” were sung in the Traditional Mass, but he’s incorrect. The “Prayers at the Foot of the Altar” were never sung. The only time the “Confíteor” is sung is prior to the distribution of Holy Communion.

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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Jeff Ostrowski

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).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

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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

Random Quote

If the homily goes on too long, it will affect two characteristic elements of the liturgical celebration: its balance and its rhythm. The words of the preacher must be measured, so that the Lord, more than his minister, will be the center of attention.

— Pope Francis (11/24/2013)

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