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Views from the Choir Loft

Offensive Music in Germany • Ash Wednesday (2019)

Jeff Ostrowski · March 13, 2019

HE FOLLOWING VIDEO has been making the rounds. You’ll surely see it sooner or later, so you might as well be prepared. (I find it pretty shocking—and, trust me, I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff.) This took place in the Basilica of St. Kunibert, and the celebrant was Cardinal Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne. For the record, I have no idea why she keeps spitting into that bullhorn during Mass. Gregory DiPippo, editor of the blog for the Church Music Association of America (CMAA), wrote: Shame on them for profaning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with that disgusting non-music.

To me, the “sacred music” chosen seems bizarre and disrespectful.

What do you think?

Cf. nn 85172

*  Direct Download • 22.4MB
—Download this video file directly from GloriaTV.

Make no mistake about it: this Mass did happen—you can see for yourself. It is not a YouTube prank. They will probably remove the video, so here’s proof this is not fake.

MANY HAVE BEEN asking things like: “Why is that woman clapping in Church? Why is she hissing on Ash Wednesday? Why is she spitting into a bullhorn during Mass?” …and so forth. For myself, I have some different questions. Why is there no choir? What was found so unacceptable about truly great music (Palestrina, Morales, etc.) that this music was chosen instead? Listening to the video, can we really pretend that compositions by composers such as Marenzio are “too esoteric” to be understood by modern man? I can tell you that my choir members here in Los Angeles love the traditional music—and they sing it very well. Their favorite is Father Tomás Luis de Victoria. The Soprano in that video clearly has a fantastic voice; why does she not use her voice to train a choir?

I don’t know anything about Cardinal Woelki, but several who do know him have written to say he must have been tricked into doing this. Sadly, bishops are often unaware of what they’re walking into.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: February 23, 2021

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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

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

Random Quote

“One must pray to God not only with theologically precise formulas, but also in a beautiful and dignified way. The Christian community must make an examination of conscience so that the beauty of music and song will return increasingly to the liturgy.”

— Pope Saint John Paul II (26 February 2003)

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