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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Hymns Ancient & Modern”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 7, 2017

OOGLE HAS UPLOADED a complete copy of HYMNS ANCIENT & MODERN, and I’ve included the PDF (41MB) toward the end of this article. HYMNS A&M is a famous Anglican hymn book containing many praiseworthy melodies and texts later adopted by Catholic hymnals. Number 145, for example, is an English translation of “Rex Sempiterne Coelitum,” a Roman Catholic hymn. (Orby Shipley has reminded us that the majority of Anglican hymns are ancient Catholic hymns translated into English.) I’m part of a team creating the St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal, and the marvelous hymns we’ve uncovered along the way are bewildering—to say nothing of the many contemporary works we’ve commissioned.

We love exploring hymns sung in two parts, for choirs who struggle with SATB. 1 Here is a glorious example:

    * *  PDF Download • “Rex Sempiterne” (English & Latin)

REHEARSAL VIDEOS for each individual voice await you at #4736.

That link (#4736) also contains a version totally in English—in case your choir is scared of seeing Latin!

EARLIER, I MADE REFERENCE to Number 145 in HYMNS A&M, which uses a translation by the compilers beginning with “O Christ the Heaven’s Eternal King.” There’s nothing wrong with that translation; indeed, about fifteen other translations might have been chosen. My choice, however—as shown above—was the excellent English translation by Fr. Fitzpatrick. Make sure to download Google’s scan of HYMNS A&M (1904 edition). The 1972 edition is also worth obtaining, but isn’t available online.

The hymn above (“Rex Sempiterne”) is actually a Renaissance revision of the ancient hymn “Rex Aeterne Domine.” This hymn can be sung at any time during the liturgical year. Indeed, we have made a special effort in the St. Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal to include pieces suitable for use throughout the year. We believe many hymnals fall short in this area, yet provide abundant choices for Advent, Christmas, Easter, and so on. Those hymnals would be adequate if church musicians only worked on major feasts—but the reality is, choirmasters must choose music throughout the entire year.

Consider two literal translations of this hymn:

    * *  PDF Download • REX AETERNE DOMINE (Two Literal Translations)

Do you know a more beautiful hymn? I do not.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Unfortunately, many choirs—both Catholic and Protestant—feel they are “good enough” to sing SATB, but the results are unsatisfactory. SATB singing is supposed to sound good. If it’s not sounding good, the choirmaster should switch back to unison or 2-voice.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

The “jolly good guy” kind of pastor can be an irritant. […] Ministers of the Gospel are not used car salesmen whose heartiness is a mile wide and an inch deep. A bemused layman told me that a bishop joked with him, but turned away like a startled deer when asked an important question…

— Fr. George Rutler (7 August 2017)

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