Views from the Choir Loft

(Video) • Closing Mass of Symposium 2018

Jeff Ostrowski · July 9, 2018 ·

O MANY THINGS make the Sacred Music Symposium unique. One example has to do with how we approach the sacred liturgy. We could have all kinds of camera people at Mass taking photos, audio, and video—but we don’t. We feel that only in extremely rare circumstances should cameras be allowed during the Holy Mass. We feel that the Real Presence of JESUS CHRIST is something that must be constantly reverenced whenever we’re at Church.

Sometimes, however, it’s possible to place small recording devices at Mass without distracting anyone’s prayer. (The quality is never professional, and the audio does not accurately reproduce the choral sound.)

A small recording device was placed at the back of the church:

IMPORTANT : In the description to the YouTube video, you will find “track marks” which allow you to skip to individual musical selections. Thanks to Miss P.W.

A statement from one of the participants:

“The Symposium was wonderful. I have attended similar programs in the past, but what set this experience apart was that the Faith was at its center. Being surrounded by like-minded Catholics for five days was refreshing, and singing the most beautiful music in the world—with dozens of wonderful individuals who cherish the rich body of Tradition and meaning behind it—was lovely. It was like being in virtual heaven for the length of a work week.”

By the way, the musical presentation before the Final Mass was absolutely fantastic—and we are looking into whether that can also be released online.

About Jeff Ostrowski

A theorist, organist, and conductor, Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004), and did graduate work in Musicology. He serves as choirmaster for the new FSSP parish in Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife and children.

Could Pope St. Pius X Sing?

“On 12 March 1908, the complete publication of the Roman Gradual was issued by the Vatican Press. On that very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. A witness of the audience says that Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement pro aliquibus locis—it was the Introit of the new Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.” (Catholic Choirmaster, February 1915)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Julius Bas Accompaniment

A very prolific harmonizer of Gregorian chant in the early 20th century was Mr. Julius Bas. He often uses a very strange technique, wherein he employs rests to eliminate the Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Consider what he did with “Lumen ad revelationem” here:

* JPEG • Lumen ad revelationem

It seems quite lazy, and I’ve never seen anyone else use such a technique, although Dr. Peter Wagner often switched to parallel octaves when he ran out of ideas… (Yuck!)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Hitting wrong notes

Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, used to say: “The organist can play 1,000 correct notes and one wrong note—and the only thing people will care about is the wrong note.” Last Sunday I hit some wrong notes, and felt bad. Then I remembered a story about Rudolf Serkin and started to chuckle. Charles Rosen (or was it Leon Fleisher?) told the story of Serkin playing a Beethoven Sonata in front of a large audience. The theme is all in octaves; but Serkin hit some wrong notes, and played parallel 7ths instead. This so unnerved him that every time the theme returned, he played the entire thing in parallel 7ths! We must remember that even the greatest hit wrong notes. Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Sviatoslav Richter, Egon Petri—they all hit wrong notes, which we can hear on recordings. (Josef Hofmann was an exception, but he was super-human so he doesn’t count!)

—Jeff Ostrowski