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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

Of Weddings, Funerals and other Comedies

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · January 18, 2020

VERYONE who has done music in a church probably has a number of wedding or funeral stories. Sometimes when church musicians gather at a coffee shop (or more likely a bar) to shoot the breeze, such stories can come up. Recently I played organ for a funeral at a church I had never been to. Like a good Catholic boy, I arrived 45 min. before the funeral. I spoke to a Deacon about how we could turn on the sound system. The chat went something like this:
“Hello Deacon Jim, do you know how to turn on the sound system?”
“I have no idea”
“How long have you been a deacon here?”
“27 years.”
“…OK”
I thought that it would be a great idea to speak to the priest about whether the Responsorial Psalm would be sung by us, whether the Ordinary parts of the Mass would be sung etc. – this little “details” the neglect of which, can bode confusion. Only… the priest was nowhere to be found. As a matter of fact, at the time the funeral was to begin, there was not a living soul in the church. (and no other as well…) About a half an hour after the “starting time” of the funeral, a few folks started to wander in. Finally about 45 min. later, I got to talk to the priest for a bit. Nobody seemed in the least concerned that the funeral started over an hour later. Oh Well. When you are thinking of eternity, what’s the hurry?

Anyway…a lot of what we do in serving our communities is rather unglamorous. I suppose that all of us would like to be performing in flashy concerts or conducting world-famous choirs or… you fill in the blank. However, the thought for today is: let’s render unto others the gift of our music as we would render to Christ. As St. Mother Theresa said: “do little things with great love.”

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

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Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 20, 2020

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About Dr. Gregory Hamilton

Dr. Gregory Hamilton is a composer and performer currently on the faculty of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas TX.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025, which is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down.” The COMMUNION ANTIPHON—both text and melody—are particularly beautiful and exceedingly ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Errors in Latin: “17th Sund. Ordinary”
    The COMMUNION for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) contains several typos in the Jogues Illuminated Missal with regard to the Latin text. That particular COMMUNION ANTIPHON is extremely ancient, and the English Adaptation is utterly gorgeous. For the record, it’s normal for books to contain typos; even books by Father Fortescue and Monsignor Knox have errors. Books by Solesmes Abbey—surely among the finest ever produced—contain many printing errors. Click here to see a few examples of typos.
    —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

Friedman met Egon Wellesz in Altaussee on one of the walks, and Egon started to speak about atonal music—and Ignaz replied: “No, no, no. Melody for me.”

— From the Life of Ignazy Friedman

Recent Posts

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  • PDF Download • “Catholic Texts Transcend”

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