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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Simple Mass Propers (1909)

Jeff Ostrowski · August 30, 2018

ID YOU EVER WONDER how “back in the day” small choirs managed to sing the Propers? In some places, even though it contradicted the rubrics, choirs simply skipped the Propers. In other places (and this was extremely common) choirs would sing them recto tono—that is to say, all on one note, often with organ accompaniment. Dr. Peter Wagner and the committee which created the Editio Vaticana considered the possibility of allowing small choirs to skip the chants between the Epistle and Gospel, or to prepare a “simple” version. The idea ended up going nowhere, because the committee soon fell apart due to irreconcilable differences.

Here’s an example of how the Proprium Missae could be made easier to sing:

    * *  PDF Download • Simple Propers for Easter Sunday (1909)

Here is a 1909 article explaining what this is all about:

87742 simple propers


In some ways, what Amatucci did seems more difficult than singing the actual plainsong…

By the way, Schwann—a company very much associated with Dr. Peter Wagner—in 1917 published an edition with simple versions of the chants between Epistle and Gospel. You can download that book at the St. Lalande Library.

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

    William Byrd • Simple “Agnus Dei” Canon
    Time flies! Back in July, I posted a PDF setting of a perfect canon by William Byrd (d. 1623) arranged as an AGNUS DEI for three voices. Last Sunday, we sang that arrangement with our volunteer choir. To hear a ‘live’ recording of it, click here (Mp3). In my humble opinion, this would be a perfect piece for a choir just beginning to experiment with polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

An Indult of the “Commission for Russia” (25 November 1929) authorizes Bishops and Administrators Apostolic in Russia to permit the celebration of Mass and the reception of Holy Communion in the afternoon or evening, on condition that a Eucharistic fast of four hours from noon be observed.

— Sacred Congregation of Rites, 25 nov 1929

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