Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for June 2018

Corpus Christi Watershed · June 30, 2018

Saint Vitus Roman Catholic Church • Los Angeles, CA

Four (4) Masses each Sunday! Established by Archbishop Gomez as an exclusively Latin Mass Parish for Los Angeles!

Richard J. Clark · June 29, 2018

Gregorian Impressions • Plainchant Settings for Organ

A new collection of organ works based on familiar and beloved plainchants

Andrew Leung · June 28, 2018

How to be a Good Choir Member?

Some tips on how to be a good teammate in a choir.

Jeff Ostrowski · June 24, 2018

(Recorded Live) • “Agnus Dei” at the Symposium

About 450 people attended the Mass on Friday night

Fr. David Friel · June 24, 2018

Novena for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Solemn High Mass at Philadelphia Carmel

Jeff Ostrowski · June 19, 2018

iPhone Clip • From Sacred Music Symposium 2018

This year’s Symposium has begun…with a bang!

Fr. David Friel · June 16, 2018

Sacred Music Camp in Allentown, NJ

New Opportunity for Children Grades 3–12

Richard J. Clark · June 15, 2018

James David Christie • International Performer of the Year

As both performer and teacher, James David Christie models excellence and beauty.

Andrew Leung · June 14, 2018

Raising the Musical Standards (Part 2)

Raising the musical standards leads to deeper prayers…

Jeff Ostrowski · June 12, 2018

“Come Holy Ghost” • Improvisation

Can you improvise?

Fr. David Friel · June 10, 2018

Sacred Music Camp for Children in Philadelphia

The Inaugural “Cantate Domino” Festival

Veronica Brandt · June 10, 2018

Save the World: Build More Carmels

Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Veronica Brandt · June 9, 2018

Perpetual Succour Passes the Equator

One young doctor sailing across the Pacific Ocean to raise money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. You do meet all sorts at Mass.

Jeff Ostrowski · June 8, 2018

“No, I was taught that in school…”

The famous wit of William F. Buckley Jr. is quite conspicuous in this clip.

Andrew Leung · June 7, 2018

Raising the Musical Standards (Part 1)

The low musical standards in churches these days…

PDF Download • “Eb Organ Postlude”

Gustav Adolf Merkel (d. 1885) was a German organist, teacher, and composer. Although a Lutheran himself, he held the appointment at the (Roman Catholic) Cathedral of Dresden from 1864 until his death. You can download his Organ Postlude in E-Flat, which I like very much. He has an interesting way of marking the pedal notes. What do you think?

—Jeff Ostrowski

Music List • (Palm Sunday, 2026)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for Palm Sunday—a.k.a. “Dominica in palmis de Passione Domini”—which is 29 March 2026. Please feel free to download it as a PDF file if such a thing interests you. The OFFERTORY (Impropérium exspectávit cor meum) is quite moving. Even though the COMMUNION ANTIPHON is relatively simple, the Fauxbourdon makes it sound outstanding.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Easter • Would You Sing This Hymn?

He who examines Laudes Dei: a hymnal for Catholic congregations (St. Louis, 1894) will discover this pairing of a hymn for Easter. For the record, this isn’t the only Catholic hymn book to marry that text and melody; e.g. Saint Mark’s Hymnal for Use in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States (Peoria, 1910) does the same thing. Sometimes an unexpected pairing—chosen with sensitivity—can be superb, forcing singers to experience the text in a ‘fresh’ and wonderful way. On the other hand, we sometimes encounter something I’ve called “PERNICIOUS HYMN PAIRINGS.” If you find the subject in intriguing, feel free to peruse an article I published in May of 2023. As always, my email inbox is open if you have a bone to pick with my take.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Gregorian Chant Quiz” • 24 March 2026

How well do you know your Gregorian hymns? Do you recognize the tune inserted into the bass line on this score? For many years, we sang the entire Mass in Gregorian chant—and I mean everything. As a result, it would be difficult to find a Gregorian hymn I don’t recognize instantly. Only decades later did I realize (with sadness) that this skill cannot be ‘monetized’… This particular melody is used for a very famous Gregorian hymn, printed in the LIBER USUALIS. Do you recognize it? Send me an email with the correct words, and I promise to tell everybody I meet about your prowess!

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)

I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”

For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.

—Jeff Ostrowski