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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Chant, Mighty Pipe Organs • Two Sundays, Two Cathedrals

Richard J. Clark · January 10, 2020

WO CATHEDRALS  — two Sundays. Gregorian Chant and mighty pipe organs will be front and center at two concerts: Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Sunday 1.12.2020 @2pm) and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City. (Sunday, 1.19.2020 @ 3:15pm)

On the program is the seven-movement organ suite Gregorian Impressions. Published by The Sacred Music Press/The Lorenz Corporation, it is based on familiar and beloved plainchants. The American Organist magazine praises Gregorian Impressions for its “engaging developments.” 

The Boston Archdiocesan Schola will assist singing the chants prior to each movement. Several noted liturgical musicians from New York will join members of the Boston Schola in New York.

HE TWO ORGANS: BOSTON — Sunday, January 12 @2pm: Built in 1875, the 101-rank E. & G. G. Hook and Hastings, Opus 801 contains 5,318 pipes. This instrument is highly unique in that it is nearly original in its tonal design. Clothed in stone and marble (since the recent renovation) this organ is breathing new life into the Cathedral!

• Click here for concert program and specifications of the 101-rank E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings Organ, Opus 801

• A tour of the newly renovated Holy Cross Cathedral will immediately follow the concert.

NEW YORK — Sunday, January 19th @3:15pm: five-manuals, 206 stops, 150 ranks, and 10 divisions, the Kilgen Organs were rebuilt by the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company in the 1990s.

This concert will be live-streamed here.

Both concerts are free and open to the public. See you there!

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: cathedral music, chant, Pipe Organ Last Updated: January 13, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“The argument moves from the existence of the thing to the correctness of the thing: what is, ought to be. Or, a popular variant: if a thing is, it doesn’t make any difference whether it ought to be—the correct response is to adjust, to learn to live with the thing.”

— ‘L. Brent Bozell, Jr.’

Recent Posts

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  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
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