Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for July 2017

Jeff Ostrowski · July 31, 2017

Major Typo • This Sunday’s Introit

Can you spot the error?

Fr. David Friel · July 30, 2017

Pastoral Care of Persons with Disabilites

Catholics with disabilities have a right to participate in the sacraments as fully as other members of the local ecclesial community.

Richard J. Clark · July 28, 2017

The “Charism” of Saying “No”

The ability to say “no” is an important gift of which much good can come, if used with wisdom, mercy, and kindness.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 27, 2017

How Is The “Kiss of Peace” Done Properly?

Do the Altar Servers receive the Kiss of Peace?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 27, 2017

Musical Resources • 8th Sunday after Pentecost

“We have received Thy mercy, O God, in the midst of Thy temple…”

Jeff Ostrowski · July 26, 2017

Seven Rules for Church Music (Sir Richard Terry)

“Is plainsong really so dull and dry as some of our singers would have us believe?”

Corpus Christi Watershed · July 25, 2017

Video • FSSP Altar Server Training Camp

The FSSP seminarians exceeded all expectations!

Christopher Mueller · July 25, 2017

What really happened at the Convocation of Catholic Leaders

Beautiful liturgical music happened—in a hotel ballroom, no less!

Jeff Ostrowski · July 24, 2017

“Tu Es Petrus” • Commissioned for the Symposium

This piece by Kevin Allen is based on the plainsong Communion antiphon.

Fr. David Friel · July 23, 2017

Seven Rules for Writing Sermons

Guidance from Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman

Andrew Leung · July 20, 2017

Recording • Choral Mattins with John Rutter

Here is some great church music coming from the Anglican Cathedral of Hong Kong

Jeff Ostrowski · July 19, 2017

“Mode 4” • How To Teach Your Choir

Did you notice the “ups and downs” were omitted? The choir will fill those in…

Guest Author · July 19, 2017

Palestrina and the Perfecting of the Medieval Ideal of Music as Rational • (Part 3 of 3)

We look to Mary to understand the “self reflection” of sacred polyphony.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 18, 2017

Video • Wilko Brouwers

Can anyone identify the composer of this piece?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 17, 2017

Organ Improvisation • Stupefyingly Awesome!

Does this constitute an organic development?

Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 4th Sunday of Lent (15 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has sublime propers. It is most often referred to as “Lætare Sunday” owing to its INTROIT. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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

Stumped by “Episcopalian Hymnal” (1910)

Some consider Songs of Syon (1910) the greatest Episcopalian hymnal ever printed. As a Roman Catholic, I have no right to weigh in one way or the other. However, this particular page has me stumped. I just know I’ve heard that tune somewhere! If you can help, please email me. I’m talking about the text which begins: “This is the day the Lord hath made; In unbeclouded light array’d.” The book is by George Ratcliffe Woodward, and its complete title is: Songs of Syon: A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. Back in 2016, Corpus Christi Watershed scanned and uploaded this insanely rare book. For years our website was the sole place one could download it as a PDF file.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“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