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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

PDF Download • “Magnificat” + Rehearsal Videos!

Jeff Ostrowski · June 4, 2019

ORE THAN ONE THING can be true at the same time. Certainly I have advocated very simple music for church; and the Brébeuf Hymnal is full of beautiful melodies that fit the bill. I have emphasized that Brébeuf makes it possible for a congregation to get through the entire liturgical year, even if they only know one solid tune. That’s because it provides a solution where common melodies can be shared with different texts. Just last Sunday I was using it with my choirs, and it literally saved my life. (I would stand on my head to make this point!)

At the same time—in conjunction with these simple hymns—I fully endorse “complicated” polyphony. At present, I direct more than fifty singers in two different choirs, and every singer learns polyphony. I, therefore, “put my money where my mouth is” in terms of complex polyphony. (We don’t sing it unless we’re prepared.)

I don’t know a greater piece of polyphony than this Magnificat by Guerrero, which will be sung at this year’s Sacred Music Symposium:

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled

SOPRANO : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled

1st ALTO : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled

2nd ALTO : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled

TENOR : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled

BASS : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled


Have you registered yet?

Only a few spots remain as of 4 June 2019.

Apply for Sacred Music Symposium 2019.

HOSE WHO READ this blog already know how difficult the life of a choirmaster is; I don’t need to repeat that. We have challenges that often seem insurmountable: physical challenges, musical challenges, psychological challenges, and so on. On a personal level, I struggle to communicate (what I consider to be) basic concepts to our readers. I talk so much about common melodies and how important they are for a Catholic choir—yet, I don’t think I’m articulating this concept well. I believe there is so much that could be accomplished, if we can all stick together; and part of sticking together is communication. A few days ago, I was thinking about how difficult it must have been to implement the document of Pope Pius X. After all, this was long before the invention of television, internet, xerox copy machines, and so forth. The airplane had just been invented; and it really was such a different time. Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by mistake. (The initial attempt failed, hitting people behind him; but when he went to the hospital to see how they were doing, he accidentally ran into the same assassin while sitting in traffic; and that’s how he was assassinated, which began the Great War.) The Great War ended up causing the Second Sino-Japanese War and also World War II—and 150 million people died as a result. Read about what it was like to fight in the trenches: bizarre and horrible! In those days, they wouldn’t give the wounded first aid. Instead, they would place wounded men on a train and transport them to a city which had a hospital, even if that city were far away. During the Great War they began to realize this was insane; so they started to have better medical stations on the actual battlefields. The United States ended up entering the Great War, but can you imagine? Can you imagine loading thousands of USA soldiers on a boat to take them to Europe so they could fight for countries they’d never visited? Again, this was all going on around the time of the Motu Proprio of Pius X. Yet, they had choirs back then, in spite of having virtually no technology at all. I guess if they could do it, we should “soldier on” as well…pardon the pun.

Finally: Why do I love Guerrero’s setting so much? It has to do with the fact that my parish sings Solemn Vespers every Sunday. I’ve fallen in love with Vespers, and this Mode 1 psalm tone is frequently used. What Guerrero does with it—in spite of all the other settings by other composers, such as Lassus (who wrote something like 200 Magnificat settings)—is truly remarkable. The entrance of the Alto at the beginning: Powerful. The way he uses contrasting themes—some ascending, some descending: brilliant! The way he will often have one voice just repeat the same notes while the others are going nuts: clever! The Alto canon at the end: not to be missed! In particular, what Guerrero does with this melody is beyond anything I could imagine; after all, it’s just a psalm tone, right? But it went into Guerrero’s brain and look what comes out! Truly marvelous. We will discuss all these things at Sacred Music Symposium 2019.

My friend Nancho sent me the original part books for this piece. Here’s how it looked in the 16th century (Verse 6, Fecit potentiam in brachio suo):

84328 Guerrero MSS


Do you see how Nancho (wisely) preserves the ligatures in his editions? Look at the section in yellow. That’s a ligature. By this time, it was done mainly through tradition—because different ways to form those notes were also available in the time of Guerrero. Still, it’s a nice reminder not to disaggregate that syllable! And it reminds us this comes directly from a psalm tone.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Abbat Pothier’s great accomplishment is having returned to the Catholic world—along with the traditional melody—the traditional way of performing it. The foundations laid by this providential man have been accepted by all those who practice Gregorian chant.”

— Dr. Peter Wagner (Commissionis Pontificiæ Gregorianæ Membrum)

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