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Views from the Choir Loft

Ronald Knox • His Actual Voice!

Jeff Ostrowski · September 18, 2018

87569 • Monsignor Ronald Knox ONSIGNOR RONALD KNOX is definitely in the “Top Five” when it comes to men who have influenced the creation of the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal. The Breviary translations by Msgr. Knox—which so few people today know about—are absolutely fantastic and sui generis. Each word is carefully chosen, and he often brings out hidden meanings from the Pre-Urbanite versions in ways only a genius could. Moreover, Knox was heavily involved with the creation of the New Westminster Hymnal; something confirmed by his biographer, Evelyn Waugh. 1

We can reveal more about our project once the Brébeuf Hymnal has been released…and it’s very close to hitting the market. Perhaps as soon as October!

One of the committee members sent me the voice of Msgr. Knox, giving a splendid lecture:

    * *  Mp3 Download • “The Incarnation and Childhood” (Ronald Knox)

By the way, I love his accent; especially the way he pronounces “history” and “theory.” Knox was a close friend of the young Fulton J. Sheen, and it’s not hard to imagine the influence the older priest had on the younger preacher:

87568 sheen


One of these days, I hope some brilliant author comes out with a modern biography of Knox—it would be a bestseller!



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The New Westminster Hymnal—in terms of what they set out to do in that era and how they went about accomplishing their goal—was a major inspiration for our project.

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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Jeff Ostrowski

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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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

4 March 2021 • Can you spare 15 seconds?

Due to Covid-19, California has basically been under “lock down” for 11 months, and these restrictions have had quite a detrimental effect on our choral programs. We are frequently limited to just 2-3 singers, on account of regulations by the government and our Archdiocese. However, although the number of singers is quite small, I was struck by the beauty of the singing last Sunday. Listen to this 15-second live excerpt and see if you agree?

—Jeff Ostrowski
3 March 2021 • “A policeman” — really?

According to Monsignor Frederick R. McManus, there were “policemen” serving the Sanhedrin in the time of Our Blessed Lord. Look at this awful translation in the 1966 “Saint Andrew Bible Missal” from 1966. Yuck!

—Jeff Ostrowski
Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

A hymn verse need not be a complete sentence, but it must have completed sense as a recognisable part of the complete sentence, and at each major pause there would be at least a “sense-pause.” Saint Ambrose and the early writers and centonists always kept to this rule. This indicates one of the differences between a poem and a hymn, and by this standard most of the modern hymns and the revisions of old hymns in the Breviary stand condemned.

— Fr. Joseph Connelly

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