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Corpus Christi Watershed

“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“We must say it plainly: the Roman rite as we knew it exists no more. It has gone. Some walls of the structure have fallen, others have been altered—we can look at it as a ruin or as the partial foundation of a new building. Think back, if you remember it, to the Latin sung High Mass with Gregorian chant. Compare it with the modern post-Vatican II Mass. It is not only the words, but also the tunes and even certain actions that are different. In fact it is a different liturgy of the Mass.”

— Fr. Joseph Gelineau (1978)

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