Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • Franz Liszt and Gregorian Chant

Jeff Ostrowski · May 17, 2019

ANY HAVE ASKED about the “corrupt” chant editions posted by CCWatershed in 2008. At that time, we were practically the only organization to value such editions, and people wanted to know: “What is the purpose of posting such books? Are we supposed to sing from them?” The short answer is: It is crucial to know what books the people were looking at in historical times. Nicolas Dufetel understands this all too well, and consulted the correct books for his fantastic article about Franz Liszt. It turns out Liszt was “obsessed” with trying to unlock the secrets of plainsong modality and rhythm, which at that time were not fully understood.

The Gregorian sheets with Liszt’s margin notes are not to be missed:

* * PDF Download • Article by Nicolas Dufetel

84559 Franz Liszt Gregorian Chant MSS

This document is courtesy of the HAL website, under the “progressive and awesome” Creative Commons which allows authors to share things but still receive full credit and legal protection.

Citation: Nicolas Dufetel. Religious Workshop and Gregorian Chant: The Janus Liszt, or How to Make New with the Old. James Deaville et Michael Saffle. Liszt’s Legacies. Based on papers presented at the International Liszt Conference held at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, Pendragon Press, pp. 43-71, 2014.

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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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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

There is a lack of that kind of organization which favors mature judgment. Move on, move on, get it out. Schemata are multiplied without ever arriving at a considered form. The system of discussion is bad … Often the schemata arrive just before the discussions. Sometimes, and in important matters, such as the new anaphoras, the schema was distributed the evening before the discussion was to take place … Father Bugnini has only one interest: press ahead and finish.

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)