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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Sunday Vespers”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 7, 2018

AST SUNDAY, we began singing Sunday Vespers. From now on, we will do this each week as a parish. Vespers is actually pretty complicated if one remembers to place in all the rubrics, starting pitches, parallel translations, and so forth. I find my solution fully adequate…but quite ugly.

UPDATE (21 September 2020):

Mr Bloomfield has solved all these problems!

*  PDF Download • “Vespers for Sundays & Holy Days”
—465-page booklet can be downloaded or purchased.

Each week, I will think about how I can make the booklets more beautiful. After a year, I believe I will have found a layout I consider worth printing. Until then, if you want to get your parish singing Sunday Vespers, feel free to use our version:

* *  PDF Download • SUNDAY VESPERS (Testing)

Everything except the Magnificat remains the same each week until Advent. Therefore, I had to create this sheet for 5 August 2018. 1 As time goes on, we will also add organ accompaniment. We will also employ special versions for the hymn.

* *  Magnificat • 24th Sunday after Pentecost

* *  Magnificat • 6th “resumed” Sunday after Epiphany

* *  Magnificat • 5th “resumed” Sunday after Epiphany

* *  Magnificat • 4th “resumed” Sunday after Epiphany

* *  Magnificat • 16th Sunday after Pentecost

* *  Magnificat • 17th Sunday after Pentecost

* *  Magnificat • 18th Sunday after Pentecost

* *  Magnificat • 19th Sunday after Pentecost

* *  Magnificat • 20th Sunday after Pentecost

* *  Magnificat • 21st Sunday after Pentecost

* *  Magnificat • 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

ORRY TO SWITCH TOPICS, but if you look in the Summit Hymnal (published in 1983 by the Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary) you will find on page 517 a “combination descant.” The editor says one can combine their harmony for HALTON HOLGATE with the popular hymn tune called MONKLAND. They provide both, so there’s no possibility of melody variants.

A member of the Brébeuf Hymnal editorial team first brought this to my attention, and we got excited. The Summit Hymnal is one of the better hymnals…but—alas!—this turned out to be a lie:

* *  PDF Download • Copyrighted Descant “Fail”

But it doesn’t work. What a huge disappointment—it would have been spectacular if it worked. The Summit Hymnal editor even copyrighted what they call the “Tune-Descant combination.” But it’s a lie.

It just doesn’t work; they break all the rules of writing descants and several parts sound terrible.

87994 monk writes


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Each week, I must create a similar sheet—unless I can successfully convince each choir member to purchase a copy of the Liber Usualis.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Vespers Last Updated: July 31, 2021

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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

    PDF • “For General Use Until Advent”
    If you conduct a volunteer choir, you might consider using this Simple Piece #40273 (“Adésto Sáncta Trínitas”) which can be used during the rest of the liturgical season until Advent. It's based on the well known hymn tune: OLD HUNDREDTH. Rehearsal videos are available at #40691. A live recording of #40273 (“Adésto Sáncta Trínitas”) by a volunteer choir is here (#40065).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • (This Coming Sunday)
    Our volunteer choir appreciates training videos, so here's my attempt at recording “Exáudi Dómine Vocem Meam,” which is the INTROIT for this coming Sunday. This coming Sunday is Dominica Post Ascensionem (“Sunday after the feast of the Ascension”). It is sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Volunteer Choir Attempts “Kýrie Eléison”
    My volunteer choir attempted the polyphonic KYRIE that will be sung at this year's Sacred Music Symposium. If you're interested, you can listen to the live recording from last Sunday. The piece is based on the ancient plainchant hymn melody: Ave Maris Stella. Polyphony like this is truly intricate and wonderful. It reminds me of the quote by Artur Schnabel: “music that's greater than it can be performed.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The “jolly good guy” kind of pastor can be an irritant. […] Ministers of the Gospel are not used car salesmen whose heartiness is a mile wide and an inch deep. A bemused layman told me that a bishop joked with him, but turned away like a startled deer when asked an important question…

— Fr. George Rutler (7 August 2017)

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