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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

Jennifer D. Behnke • “Brébeuf Hymnal Review”

Guest Author · July 25, 2019

ERY SOON AFTER its release, I ordered a copy of the St. Jean de Brébeuf hymnal, and have been utterly in love with this resource since it arrived in my mailbox. Indeed, between the dark, hard bound book with soft matte texture lies some of the Catholic Church’s most treasured jewels. It feels like a well loved first edition of a favorite novel which you cherish and re-read time and time again.

THE LITURGICAL WONK IN ME adores the numerous scholarly treatments of texts. From inclusion of the original Latin urtext, to historical and canonically backed translations, to modern “singable” versions that do not lose the lustre of the poetic imagery, the primacy of the text is apparent on each page. In light of the 2010 revisions to the English language Roman Missal, made to eliminate paraphrasing in our liturgies, the St. Jean de Brébeuf hymnal takes the same direction from the Liturgiam Authenticam:

“The translation of the liturgical texts of the Roman liturgy is not so much a work of creative innovation as it is of rendering the original texts faithfully and accurately into the vernacular language. While it is permissible to arrange the wording, the syntax and the style in such a way as to prepare a flowing vernacular text suitable to the rhythm of popular prayer, the original text, insofar as possible, must be translated integrally and in the most exact manner, without omissions or additions in terms of their content, and without paraphrases or glosses. Any adaptation to the characteristics or the nature of the various vernacular languages is to be sober and discreet.”

However, where the Brébeuf hymnal differs is that its texts do in fact adhere to a very high style of poetic meter as well as theological clarity—and for that, our congregations can be intensely grateful. The modern hymnody of other major hymnals profits off of paraphrase and shaky theological textual footing, some hymns even straying into the heretical. The Brébeuf ancient texts and authoritative translations will offer no such abuse to worshippers.

83596-sacred-heart-bloomfield-new-jersey THE MUSICAL WONK IN ME adores the multiple settings of each text, which can be interchanged as required by seasonal and festal usage. Indeed, there are over 20 different settings and translations to sing some version of “Pange Lingua Gloriosi”—by both Bishop Fortunatus and St. Thomas Aquinas—each with its own textual intricacies and utilizing poetic foot and word painting. Can you imagine more versatility within prescribed liturgical hymnody as a music director? Many of the tunes are already familiar to most Catholic congregations, but restore a sense of dignity and timelessness to the music for worship which has been discarded in the past 50+ years of intentionally adolescent liturgical practice.

Finally, the Brébeuf Hymnal treats Catholic music in English as the wealth and treasury of thought and substance that it is. It strikes the perfect balance of theologically sound texts, sublime and timeless musical treatment and thoughtful research that our congregations can mature into. This is a hymnal that not only will inspire our congregations to sing, but to delve deeper into their spiritual life with a solid foundation in two millennia of artistic excellence.

Jennifer D. Behnke
Director of Music Ministries
(Sacred Heart Church)
Choral Music Teacher
(Immac. Conception High School)


We hope you enjoyed this guest article by Jennifer D. Behnke.

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: September 1, 2023

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President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). 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 feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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

Random Quote

“Those who teach Latin must know how to speak to the hearts of the young, know how to treasure the very rich heritage of the Latin tradition to educate them in the path of life, and accompany them along paths rich in hope and confidence.”

— Pope Francis (7 December 2017)

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