Views from the Choir Loft

Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast

Fr. David Friel · March 10, 2019

EBCASTING aficionados take heed: a new podcast devoted to sacred music has just been launched. Entitled Square Notes, the program is dedicated to exploring the teaching and vision of the Church on the topic of liturgical music. This project brings the discussion of truly sacred music to a new platform, supplementing what is already available through professional organizations, in the blogosphere, and in print.

The hosts of the podcast are Dr. Jennifer Donelson and Mr. Peter Carter, whose full bios are posted on the podcast’s website.

The first episode (the only one available so far) is an interview with Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, OR (see here for news of his recently promulgated “Archdiocesan Liturgical Handbook”). The interview, which lasts just over half an hour, involves an engaging discussion of the principles of sacred music and the importance of worthy liturgical celebration.

Future episodes will include stories of conversions prompted by sacred music, conversations with specialists in musical pedagogy for children, and such notable guests as Fr. Cassian Folsom, OSB, Dr. William Mahrt, and Charles Cole.

This new podcast is distributed through various media, including iTunes, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Stitcher. See the program’s own website for links to these listening platforms.

You can also like their Facebook page to stay abreast of newly posted episodes.

For my own first foray into the world of webcasting, check out this podcast from a couple years ago about what constitutes true sacred music.

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

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

All of the chants for 27 July 2025, which is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down.” The COMMUNION ANTIPHON—both text and melody—are particularly beautiful and exceedingly ancient.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser

To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Errors in Latin: “17th Sund. Ordinary”

The COMMUNION for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) contains several typos in the Jogues Illuminated Missal with regard to the Latin text. That particular COMMUNION ANTIPHON is extremely ancient, and the English Adaptation is utterly gorgeous. For the record, it’s normal for books to contain typos; even books by Father Fortescue and Monsignor Knox have errors. Books by Solesmes Abbey—surely among the finest ever produced—contain many printing errors. Click here to see a few examples of typos.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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