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Views from the Choir Loft

A Traditional—But Bizarre!—Way To Assist At Mass

Jeff Ostrowski · January 31, 2020

ECAUSE I served on the committee which produced the Brébeuf hymnal, I was allowed to examine all the source material. Our team spent five years scanning thousands of pages of old Catholic hymnals, so we would be fully aware of the traditions. (The quality of the hymns varied greatly.) Something we found often was a tradition of singing English throughout Low Mass. I know it sounds incredible, but Catholics used to sing vernacular hymns while the priest was quietly offering Mass in Latin. If you doubt what I say, feel free to examine the full documentation.

I won’t repeat what I’ve already explained about this bizarre practice, which I don’t endorse. Some people will probably object, saying children need a way to participate in Mass; and I do understand such a sentiment. But—in my humble opinion—these musical compositions and the poetry (see below) are of a very poor quality. Pope Leo XIII said people should pray the Rosary during Mass, and I feel that makes a lot more sense than (for example) singing English hymns while the priest quietly proclaims the Gospel. I don’t want to condemn people’s devotion; it just strikes me as bizarre.

Today, I release for your consideration another example of singing English during Low Mass, taken from the Crown of Jesus Roman Catholic Hymnal (London, 1864):


Here is page 23:


Here is page 24:


Here is page 25:


Here is page 26:


Here is page 27:


Here is page 28:


Here is page 29:


Here is page 30:


Here is page 31:


Here is page 32:


Here is page 33:


Here is page 34:


Here is page 35:


A closer view of that page:


Here is page 36:

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Low Mass Vernacular Hymns Last Updated: April 6, 2021

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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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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

No concession should ever be made for the singing of the Exsultet, in whole or in part, in the vernacular.

— ‘Fr. Augustin Bea, S.J. in the years immediately before the Second Vatican Council’

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