Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • Spectacular “Tenebrae” Booklet

Jeff Ostrowski · April 8, 2019

OOGLE THE NAME “Paula Sims” and you’ll discover the sad tale of a mother who secretly killed her baby but attempted to blame a “masked man” who supposedly broke into her house. Three years earlier, Paula had killed another baby, blaming the murder on {wait for it…} a “masked man” who supposedly broke into her house. You have to ask yourself: “Does she think we’re stupid?” The same could be asked of the 1960s reformers who tried to eliminate (and hide) the authentic liturgy of the Catholic Church. Did they really believe it would be possible to cover up 1,500 years of tradition? Do they think we are all stupid? Well, it didn’t work. Catholics keep discovering the ancient traditions. First they fall in love; then they go to incredible lengths to revive what was destroyed. A shining example would be Mr. Albert Bloomfield, whose work is known to me thanks to our mutual friend, Fr. Valentine Young, OFM. ¹

* * PDF Download • Complete Tenebrae (1962)

You will also see they can be purchased through Amazon in booklet form. These Vespers Books (which we have mentioned in the past) are what we use every Sunday at Saint Vitus, and we could not be happier with them. Mr. Albert Bloomfield has done us all a breathtaking favor.

Here is a printable Tenebrae booklet that can be used on the evening of Holy Thursday.

NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1 If you ever get an opportunity to meet him, please do so! He’s truly magnificent. Indeed, you would struggle to find a holier, more faithful priest than Fr. Valentine Young.

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

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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!

A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)

I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.

—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