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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

16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • Gorgeous Book

If there is a more beautiful book than Abbat Pothier’s 1888 Processionale Monasticum, I don’t know what it might be. This gorgeous tome was today added to the Saint John Lalande Online Library. I wish I owned a physical copy.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Giovanni Doni is known for having changed the name of note “Ut,” renaming it “Do.” He convinced his contemporaries to make the change by arguing that 1) “Do” is easier to pronounce than “Ut,” and 2) “Do” is an abbreviation for “Dominus,” the Latin word for the Lord, Who is the tonic and root of the world. There is much academic speculation that Giovanni Doni also wanted to imprint himself into musical canon in perpetuity because “Do” is also ulteriorly an abbreviation for his family name.

— Giovanni Battista Doni died in 1647AD

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