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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

Saint Paul’s Choir School • New CD with AimHigher Recordings/Sony Classical

Richard J. Clark · September 8, 2017

N THE FEAST of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the St. Paul’s Choir School, Harvard Square, announces the release of its second international recording, Ave Maria. This follows the 2014 CD Christmas in Harvard Square which reached #1 on Billboard Magazine’s Classical Traditional Charts.

Led by a superlative music staff at St. Paul’s, the CD was directed by Choirmaster, John Robinson and accompanied by organist, Jeremy Bruns. Furthermore, the CD was produced by eleven-time Grammy Award-winner Christopher Alder, and Grammy Award-winner, Brad Michel. The CD is released by De Montfort Music/Sony Classical and its sister label AimHigher Recordings. They are responsible for several #1 Classical CDs including BENEDICTA: Marian Chant from Norcia.

      * *  Order the CD: Ave Maria • Saint Paul’s Choir School • Harvard Square

      * *  Order from iTunes: Ave Maria • Saint Paul’s Choir School • Harvard Square

N ADDITION to singing daily Mass, the St. Paul’s Choir School has sung in venues from Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, to Fenway Park. They have enjoyed enormous national publicity having been featured on CBS This Morning, NPR, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, WGBH, Boston Globe and on their own PBS Special.

IN THIS TRAILER FOR Ave Maria, you can find out what are each of the boys’ favorite pieces!

TTRACTING STUDENTS FROM all over America and the world, the St. Paul’s Choir School has transformed countless lives. One need look no further than St. Paul’s current pastor, Fr. William T. Kelly, a graduate of St. Paul’s (formerly known as the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School). In a conversation while he was Pastor of St. Mary’s of the Assumption in Dedham, Massachusetts, he said his calling to the priesthood grew directly out of his life as a student at St. Paul’s. Singing the Mass as a child was an enormous part of his spiritual education and formation—not only musical.

Furthermore, Choirmaster John Robinson speaks quite passionately regarding the impact such music has on the spirit, intellect, and character of young hearts and minds. In doing so, he even evokes the Communion of the Saints:

“When I introduce young minds to the beautiful heritage of Church music, it’s always amazing to see just how much they love the great music we have been given. Music is such a powerful tool for forming young minds, and of course it goes so far emotionally in uniting us with each other, but also with our families on earth and in heaven.

It’s amazing to think that if, say, Palestrina walked into Church during our 11.00 Mass, he would hear his music, and there would be a sense in which we are all joined together by this shared experience, which we’ve been given. You can see the boys growing in maturity and responsibility as the power and clarity of the musical thoughts help shape their minds in love of God and neighbor.

There’s a clear link with their academic development as well, since the concentration required to learn to sing this great music transfers perfectly to study.”

— John Robinson

Regardless of what one eventually does in life, music education is an invaluable discipline that leads to developing many valuable life skills, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, interpersonal, etc. Such education immersed in faith will lead to transformation.

This is true of the boys who enter the St. Paul Choir School. It has been true of generations past under its legendary founder, Theoodore Marier and under former Headmaster, Principal, Organist, and Choirmaster, John Dunn. Now, under John Robinson, the St. Paul Choir School continues on the international stage. But praising God with music is above all. These new recordings afford new opportunities for evangelization, and as such, a new responsibility for the school.

Finally, if you know a talented third or fourth grade boy, you can learn more about Applying to Become a Choirboy where you can see information about admissions, tuition, and opportunities at the Saint Paul’s Choir School.

Soli Deo gloria

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 Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). 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 feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —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

“The following few hints on the selection of voices may be useful: (1) Reject all boys who speak roughly, or sing coarsely; (2) Choose bright, intelligent-looking boys, provided they have a good ear; they will much more readily respond to the choirmaster’s efforts than boys who possess a voice and nothing more; therefore, (3) Reject dull, sulky, or scatter-brained boys, since it is hard to say which of the three has the most demoralizing effect on his more willing companions.”

— Sir Richard Runciman Terry (1912)

Recent Posts

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  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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