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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 • “Hosanna” Catholic Hymnal (285 Pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · January 19, 2018

90658 Ludwig Bonvin HOSANNA HYMN BOOK Catholic ORK CONTINUES on the Brébeuf hymnal, which is scheduled to be released this year. I am honored to be part of its international committee, and we often discover the most interesting books while doing research. Fr. Ludwig Bonvin was a Jesuit priest who served as music director at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.1 In 1914, he published a hymnal with a company in St. Louis, Missouri:

* *  PDF • “Hosanna” Catholic Hymn Book (285 pages)

Jesuit Fr. Peter Leonard was appointed Censor of this work by the Bishop of Buffalo. He has nothing but positive things to say about the creation of his confrère (his assessment is printed at the very beginning of the hymnal) and I do agree this is one of the better American hymnals from that period.

Bonvin wisely chose many Divine Office hymns (Catholic), with English translations frequently taken from Hymns Ancient & Modern (Protestant). This is rather remarkable, since the tradition at that time was to use translations produced exclusively by Catholics: Donohoe, Caswall, Newman, Bagshawe, and so forth. Fr. Bonvin’s book was reviewed favorably in 1916 by his friends at the Catholic Choirmaster (cf. page 13):

* *  PDF • 1916 Review “American Catholic Hymnals”

Bonvin was concerned about the state of Catholic music in those days:

“Many choirs of children still use hymnals that are wretched from a musical as well as an ecclesiastical standpoint, hymnals that offer not only tasteless and insipid texts and musical bunglings, but even adaptations of well-known English, German, and French secular songs. Even such decidedly secular tunes as Tyrolese and Swiss Yodels, or such unbecoming music as abbreviated arias from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Rossini’s operas are not wanting; all this, too, in a form so corrupt, mutilated and bungled, that in the concert hall or in the family circle we should turn away from it in disgust.”

Speaking of Catholic Choirmaster hymnal reviews, here’s one for the Old Saint Basil Hymnal by “Hymnologus” (a fake name) from 1916:

* *  PDF • 1916 Review (“Old Saint Basil Hymnal”)

The language is quite strong—and the author even uses Dom Pothier’s famous disciple (Dom Lucien David) to attack—but we must remember this was published by Nicola Montani (d. 1948) whose hymnal was in direct competition with the Old Saint Basil Hymnal.

The anonymous author seems not to be in love with Germany:

90656 GERMANY TUNE

For myself, I think that tune is quite dignified, and often used with “Glorious things of thee are spoken.” Moreover, if memory serves, Haydn did not actually compose that tune—he adapted it from a Croatian song.

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Canisius College was founded in 1870 by members of the Society of Jesus from Germany and was named after St. Peter Canisius, whose church in Switzerland was used for the images in the Campion Hymnal.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: September 28, 2022

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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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President’s Corner

    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
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —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

“This chapter hereby extends the prohibition of 13 June 1561 against loaning singers or instrumentalists on any account whatsoever to include even the humblest choirboy.” [From “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

— Sevilla: Chapter Resolution (10 June 1562)

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