Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for February 2019

Jeff Ostrowski · February 28, 2019

PDF • “Additional Versions of the Credo” (1934)

This morning, fascinating versions of the Credo arrived in my inbox—versions I had never seen!

Lucas Tappan · February 27, 2019

Strive for Greatness!

Stop trying to make everything easy, and therefore unimportant.

Fr. David Friel · February 23, 2019

New Resource! • Chant Videos for Treble Voices

A new website seeks to record the full Gregorian propers each week using a treble voice.

Richard J. Clark · February 22, 2019

“Woman of No Distinction” World Premiere

What makes this work unique is its perspective: written entirely from the point of view of the Samaritan woman.

Jeff Ostrowski · February 20, 2019

When You Go To Mass … Be This Guy!

Bringing a falcon to Mass never crossed my mind…

Jeff Ostrowski · February 19, 2019

An Outrageous “Paradox” I Cannot Accept

I’m not someone who believes everything was perfect before Vatican II—but calling the EF “worldly” compared to the OF is just silly.

Fr. David Friel · February 17, 2019

Sacred Architecture and Brexit

A connecting link in the form of Gothic cathedrals

Jeff Ostrowski · February 14, 2019

Update! • Accompaniments for the Brébeuf Hymnal

Oh, if only…if only you knew what’s going on behind the scenes!

Lucas Tappan · February 12, 2019

The Cantor and Congregational Singing

I wonder if we haven’t lost sight of the cantor’s original purpose of fostering congregational singing…

Jeff Ostrowski · February 11, 2019

Breaking! • Father Edwin C. Dwyer Development?

Did Bishop A. Hurley have a change of heart?

Jeff Ostrowski · February 7, 2019

“Your Choirmaster” • What Nobody Realizes

Do you see the part where it specifically asks for humiliation?

Fr. David Friel · February 2, 2019

Fourth-Century Advice for Choir Directors

A passage from Nicetas of Remesiana remains eminently applicable today.

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

15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski