• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

  • About
  • Symposium
  • Hymnal
  • Jogues Missal
  • Site Map
  • Donate
Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Sanctus For Two Voices”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 1, 2019

ENTION HAS BEEN MADE in the past of an “in house” collection from France (or possibly Quebec) which I came across while I was a graduate student in musicology at the University of Kansas. It is missing the first 50+ pages, but seems to be designed for use in cathedrals. I have had occasion to transcribe pieces from this book in the past—since it uses archaic clefs and was written by hand, not printed—and someday I’d like to transcribe the entire book. 1

I have transcribed a very interesting SANCTUS by Jules Couture (d. 1959), where the ladies sing one voice and the men sing the other voice:

    * *  PDF Download • “Sanctus for Two Voices” (Men + Women)

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled

LADIES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled

GENTLEMEN : YouTube   •   Mp3 Labeled

83507 SANCTUS


Try this piece! Your choir will love it. Furthermore, the composer does cool things with the voices; e.g. carefully compare the two (2) HOSANNA sections.


A GOOD CHOIRMASTER soon discovers a crucial reality: Easy music often comes off better than complicated music. That’s because simpler music allows the choir to master the musical phrasing, vowels, rhythm, and intonation. The fact that a piece such as this Couture SANCTUS was considered suitable for cathedral use corresponds to what was said in a document promulgated by Pope Pius XII on 3 September 1958:

“In general, it is better to do something well, however modest, than to attempt something on a grander scale if proper means are lacking.”

The source of that quote—as well as other interesting Church regulations—are here:

    * *  Article • Jimmy Stewart & Church Music Regulations?



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Unless I am wrong, it was created as a lithograph. I am told many such “in house” publications exist in France, some of which date from times when the Church was being persecuted by the French government: for example, circa 1905, when persecutory laws were enacted.

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

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

Subscribe to the CCW Mailing List

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).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
7 June 2022 • FEEDBACK

From Chelan, Washington: “CCWatershed is a God-sent resource that I can’t function without! Such great work by the team to bring beauty back to our liturgy!” From Gainesville, Florida: “I am so appreciative of the work, of my brothers and sisters in music!” From Troutman, North Carolina: “Keep up the excellent work in service of the Liturgy!”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

St Ambrose had to be “corrected” by Pope Urban VIII. The ‘Iste confessor’ was greatly altered and the hymn for the Dedication of a Church—which no one ought to have touched—was in fact completely recast in a new meter. Singular demand, made by the taste of that particular epoch!

— Re: The hymn revisions of Pope Urban VIII (d. 1644)

Recent Posts

  • “How Has Nobody Done This Before?” • Vol. 1
  • “Exceeded Every Expectation!” • Mr. O’Brien’s Review
  • “81 Photos” • Sacred Music Symposium 2022
  • Photograph • Dom André Mocquereau (d. 1930)
  • “I Found Myself Weeping, Almost In Disbelief…”

Copyright © 2022 Corpus Christi Watershed · Gabriel Lalemant on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.