Views from the Choir Loft

“O Sanctissima” • SATB Contemporary Setting!

Jeff Ostrowski · September 15, 2017

OU PROBABLY KNOW the famous hymn “O Sanctissima,” often sung with a melody called SICILIAN MARINERS (first published in 1792). Here’s gorgeous contemporary setting by Maria Quinn, mixed with a very simple 2-voice arrangement with organ from the Campion Hymnal. If there’s time, you can repeat the first verse after the fourth verse.

I recorded all the voices, so please excuse my screechy soprano notes:

REHEARSAL VIDEOS for each individual voice await you at #4456.
The full PDF score can be downloaded there.

We often receive emails asking how to download the PDF score, and that deeply saddens me.

I’ve tried to let people know that these scores—along with individual rehearsal tracks—can be downloaded at the Lalemant Polyphonic.

If you use Mac, press COMMAND + F and type in “4456.”

For PC users, hit CONTROL + F and type in “4456.”

If you fail to go there and download the PDF version, you might miss the 2-voice version (with organ accompaniment). And promise me you’ll sing through the Tenor line. Breathtaking, no?

I repeat: Please go there and freely download the score!

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

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).

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