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Views from the Choir Loft

Is The Brébeuf Hymnal Too Scrupulous?

Jeff Ostrowski · May 31, 2018

HE SAINT Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal project has been underway for five years, and will soon be released. You would not believe the amount of research even one hymn requires. Creating even one table 1 can take an entire week. I recall one instance where the committee argued about a single word for more than a week. Sometimes the mind can play tricks. Sometimes our committee asks: “Are we being too scrupulous? Why so much deliberation over every choice? Why so much discussion about a single stanza, or even a single word?”

We took as our models the most beautiful and meticulously produced books of all time. Many were produced at Solesmes, and it can be a great consolation to find mistakes even in the most respected books. For example, a famous (and fantastic) book produced by Solesmes Abbey in 1885 has this glaring mistake:

88789 Homer Nods SOLESMES


(They corrected this in later books.)

Can you spot the egregious error in this 1913 book by Fr. Adrian Fortescue?

Hint: It has to do with an accent mark.

88787 FORTESCUE ERROR ACCENT


No matter how much effort our committee exerts, I’m sure there will be typos. We also have a group of proofreaders who have promised to assist—which is awesome. Remembering that someone as great as Fortescue made errors is a consolation.

Even Homer nods.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   When I reference “tables,” I’m referring to huge sheets of paper containing as many as 24 different translations. As part of the editorial process, we assemble every translation ever made for each Breviary hymn. Only by this process can the best translations be chosen. In some instances, we have commissioned translations by modern experts.

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

    26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
    “Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work in spite of terrible conditions, their relentless zeal for the faith, their genuine love for the laypeople they served, etc. Overall though—more than anything concrete I can point to that you did or said—it was your demeanor at the Symposium. I could tell you really absolutely love and believe the Catholic Faith. You don’t get that everywhere, even in Church circles. And your humility is what then makes that shine even brighter. It is super inspiring! God is working through you probably way more than you know.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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