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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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 eminent theologian Suarez (who died in 1617) […] took the position that a pope would be schismatic “if he, as is his duty, would not be in full communion with the body of the Church as, for example, if he were to excommunicate the entire Church, or if he were to change all the liturgical rites of the Church that have been upheld by apostolic tradition.”

— Monsignor Klaus Gamber (1981)

Recent Posts

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  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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