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Views from the Choir Loft

Fighting With A Bishop • Good Idea?

Jeff Ostrowski · March 19, 2018

89885 episcopate gloves EVEN YEARS AGO, I approached the bishop of a medium-sized diocese with a plan for sacred music improvement. At that point, my compositions for the Ordinary Form had been downloaded more than 800,000 times, and musicians seemed to value them. This bishop had zero interest in examining any of my compositions, but did read some of my published articles.

He apparently discovered something he didn’t like—although he wouldn’t tell me what specifically—and proceeded to say something I’ll never forget:

“Jeff, we know one thing for certain: all those who made liturgical changes in the 1960s had the right intentions and were men of good will.”

I was raised correctly, so I knew arguing with a bishop would be inappropriate. But I was sorely tempted to ask: “Your Excellency, what evidence can you produce to justify your assertion?”

SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, I do not believe 100% of the liturgical reformers ipso facto had “good intentions.” Remember the Church Music Manual (1964) we posted in 2015?

Here’s an excerpt:

89888 Latin liturgical


Such a statement utterly contradicts Sacrosanctum Concilium (4 December 1963), which clearly says Gregorian chant, under normal circumstances, must be given first place in liturgical ceremonies. But the author knew that very few people had access to the documents of Vatican II in 1964, so he got away scot-free.

Pope Saint John XXIII, who convened Vatican II, wrote in 1962:

We are fully determined to restore Latin to its position of honor.

Compare the words of John XXIII with the excerpt above—and then tell me all the reformers had “the correct heart.” The retention of Latin was not a suggestion:

    * *  PDF Download • Retention of Latin Not A Suggestion

Indeed, when Cardinal Browne stood up during Vatican II, warning that Latin might disappear entirely if the vernacular were allowed, the fathers famously roared with laughter at such a suggestion.

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 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).

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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a heavenly body, for it spun round on itself in a mad whirl, when suddenly a clamor was heard from all the people. The sun, whirling, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was terrible.”

— ‘Dr. Almeida Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra (1917)’

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