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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Easy Organ Interludes” (229 pages)

Veronica Brandt · December 1, 2018

REAT ORGANISTS are few and far between. Many people are pressed into service as organists with little by way of training. Most advice centers around accompanying hymns, which is very valuable, but there are times when the organ needs to fill time without causing the more conscientious of the congregation to reach for their hymnals. The Nova Organi Harmonia volumes are a great resource. When playing for a Sunday Extraordinary Form Mass I often play through the Asperges antiphon as an entrance. Many of the pieces can be played as organ interludes, but they are rather designed to accompany chant. Here’s a tip: instead of searching for “music for organ without pedals,” try searching for “music for Harmonium.” That’s how I came across the collection Orgelschatz, edited by J. A. Troppmann, which was sort of what I was looking for, and yet, not quite right—until I tried the seventh piece! This was credited to G. B. Fasolo from AD 1645.

Searching further yielded this work:

* *  PDF Download • (AD 1645) Easy Organ Interludes (229 pages)

…They are shared thanks to a “Creative Commons” license, as you can see here. Yes, that’s right: 229 pages of renaissance liturgical organ for manuals! And here are just the hymns:

* *  PDF Download • (AD 1645) Just the hymns (63 pages)

SCOURING THE PAGES, I find the piece that sparked my interest is the first verse of Proles de caelo prodiit—a hymn from the feast of St Francis of Assisi on page 55 of Pierre Gouin’s edition. The composer is a Franciscan priest, so it makes sense that this piece would be especially beautiful. LISTEN HERE.

Another piece is the second verse of Jesu Corona Virginum on page 52. LISTEN HERE.

One more sample from page 67. The book has verses from the Gloria for Missa Orbis Factor. I found the part entitled Cum sancto was quite smooth and easier—though I can still hear where I need more polish! LISTEN HERE.

Lastly, here’s a video of my set up for practising these pieces, this time with the Agnus Dei from Missa Cunctipotens Deus on page 91:

* *  Watch me on Instagram

Making recordings of yourself is a great way to get feedback as well as generating the nervous energy to simulate playing in public. I still have a long way to go, but I’m very happy to have found this book. I’m all ears for any further tips!

UPDATE: a printed version is available here with the permission of the publisher, Pierre Gouin of Les Éditions Outremontaises, Montreal. He has typed up an amazing amount of beautiful music and continues to update the scores.

85977 organist

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

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Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Catholic Organ Interludes, Free Organ Preludes, organ, Views From The Organ Bench Last Updated: September 23, 2022

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The plan to definitively abolish the traditional Tridentine Mass … if it is true, seems to me to be an insult to the history of the Church and to Sacred Tradition, a diabolical project that seeks to break with the Church of Christ, the apostles, and the saints.”

— The Vatican’s chief liturgist (appointed by Pope Francis) from 2014-2021

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