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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Installation of New Pipe Organ on Capitol Hill

Fr. David Friel · May 19, 2019

NSTALLATIONS of new pipe organs are significant events. Even as their digital counterparts have grown in popularity, pipe organs have retained a place of unique importance in the field of Church music. New installations require the cooperation and support of the whole parish—pastor, musicians, and faithful—and they are a cause for real celebration.

One recently completed project took place at St. Peter’s Church in Washington, DC. Situated on the House side of Capitol Hill, the parish elected to replace, rather than repair, its previous instrument. The earlier organ, installed in 1940, had been damaged by plaster that fell during a 2001 earthquake in the city. The new organ debuted at this year’s Easter Vigil.

The music program at St. Peter’s is directed by Kevin O’Brien, a respected organist and conductor who holds a DMA from The Catholic University of America. The Archdiocese of Washington’s Catholic Standard featured a nice article on the installation project, including interviews of O’Brien and the pastor.

The new instrument is Opus 162 of Noack Organ Company, headquartered in Massachusetts. It is both modern and traditional: modern in the sense that it is carefully designed to support congregational singing, and traditional in that it uses all mechanical (tracker) action. One of the most interesting aspect of this project is that the organ builders worked around two brick walls in the choir loft area that are integral to the structure of the church. Below are three images illustrating how this was accomplished:

Organ3 Organ2 Organ1

Full specifications of the instrument are found on the organ builder’s website here.

St. Peter’s Church is one of two venues utilized by the excellent Washington Bach Consort. The ensemble performs a Noontime Cantata Series on the first Mondays and Tuesdays of several months throughout the year. In addition to a fine program of Bach works, each concert begins with an organ solo. The new instrument will be specially featured in the upcoming season of the Consort.

Congratulations to St. Peter’s Church on their achievement!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pipe Organ Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“I am now old but I was young when I was received into the Church. I was not at all attracted by the splendour of her great ceremonies—which the Protestants could well counterfeit. Of the extraneous attractions of the Church which most drew me was the spectacle of the priest and his server at Low Mass, stumping up to the altar without a glance to discover how many or how few he had in his congregation; a craftsman and his apprentice; a man with a job which he alone was qualified to do.”

— Evelyn Waugh (7 August 1964)

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