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

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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

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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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The representative Protestant collection, entitled “Hymns, Ancient and Modern”—in substance a compromise between the various sections of conflicting religious thought in the Establishment—is a typical instance. That collection is indebted to Catholic writers for a large fractional part of its contents. If the hymns be estimated which are taken from Catholic sources, directly or imitatively, the greater and more valuable part of its contents owes its origin to the Church.

— Orby Shipley (1884)

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