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Views from the Choir Loft

Can Girls In The 2nd Grade Sing SATB Hymns?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 18, 2019

T WOULD BE DIFFICULT to think of a text treated more thoroughly by the Brébeuf Hymnal than “Cónditor Alme Síderum” (changed in 1631AD to “Creátor Alme Síderum” during the Urbanite reform). It is fully dealt with in the “Ancient Hymns” section, but then it’s given even more space on Color Plate 19, which makes some fascinating observations. Needless to say, I’m not going to reproduce all that information in this article.

A famous Advent melody is called “O Heiland Reiss,” and the Brébeuf Hymnal uses that melody with several different texts, including an English translation of “O Heiland Reiss” by an FSSP priest. I played the tune on the piano 5-6 times, and a girl in 2nd grade was able to pick up the tune. (She has never studied music formally, but does have “music class” in her school).

I’ve said many times the Brébeuf melodies are simple enough to be learned by anyone:

You can hear the individual tracks if you visit the Brébeuf website and scroll to #188.

MORE TIMES THAN YOU CAN SHAKE a stick at, it turns out the people who claim to be “the world’s experts” on hymnody actually know very little. One such person wrote to us, saying that “O Heiland Reiss” can be used for one text only—and any other approach is wrong.

He clearly was ignorant of examples like these:

    * *  O Heiland reiss die Himmel auf • Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959)

    * *  O Heiland reiss die Himmel auf • Catholic Hymnal (1957)

    * *  O Heiland reiss die Himmel auf • Catholic Hymnal (1936)

    * *  O Heiland reiss die Himmel auf • Catholic Hymnal (1910)

    * *  O Heiland reiss die Himmel auf • Catholic Hymnal (1885)

    * *  O Heiland reiss die Himmel auf • Catholic Hymnal (1989)

I promised not to repeat what is contained in the Brébeuf Hymnal, and I won’t. Let me just say that what Monsignor Knox did with this ancient Latin poem is spectacular.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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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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Quick Thoughts

6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski
2 January 2021 • Temptation

When I see idiotic statements made on the internet, I go nuts. When I see heretics promoted by people who should know better, I get angry. Learning to ignore such items is difficult—very difficult. I try to remember the words of Fr. Valentine Young: “Do what God places in front of you each day.” When I am honest, I don’t believe God wants me to dwell on errors and idiocy; there’s nothing I can do about that. During 2021, I will strive to do a better job following the advice of Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski
31 December 2020 • “COMITES CHRISTI”

The feasts for Saint Stephen Proto-Martyr (26 December), Saint John the Evangelist The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (27 December), and the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December) seem untouched by any liturgical reforms. These are very powerful feasts—I believe they once possessed octaves—and I believe they could sometimes “overpower” a Sunday feast. The rules for octaves in the olden days are extremely complex. These feasts are sometimes referred to as a single entity as: Comites Christi (“Companions of Christ”). This is just a guess, but there seems to be a triple significance: STEPHEN martyred after Christ lived, JOHN was a martyr who knew Christ personally, and the HOLY INNOCENTS were martyred before Christ’s birth.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Been to Catholic church and heard Mass. Execrable music! Organ played by a young girl who made impossible harmonies. Sermon very long. The preacher screamed loud enough to tire his lungs. The congregation was affected.”

— Louis Moreau Gottschalk (8 May 1864)

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