Views from the Choir Loft

“I’m hanging on every word.”—Catholic Organist Group

Jeff Ostrowski · February 7, 2020 ·

Y friend, Mæstro Clark, sent me a screenshot from a discussion on the “Catholic Organist Group.” Look what one participant wrote about the Brébeuf hymnal:

I’ve never encountered
such a prolific and astoundingly
interesting hymnal, that
includes researched and
annotated writings as
the Brébeuf hymnal.

I just read it for an hour and
I’ve barely scratched the surface.
I’m hanging on every word.

It is just as much a lesson
in theology, Christian tradition,
the history of sacred hymnody,
and inspiring Christian bio-epic
of the North American martyrs
as it is a hymnal. It could easily
stand as a primary text
to a course, and is almost
overkill as a pew aid.

Further comments are here:

* PDF Download • Read the Entire Thread
—“Catholic Organist Group” screenshot on 7 February 2020.

Last night during rehearsal, I opened up the Brébeuf pew book and was almost moved to tears. The typesetting, the drop caps, the intricate details…wonderful stuff:

I’m beyond thrilled that we are able to sing the beautiful hymn for Septuagesima (“Rebus Creatis Nil Egens”) during Septuagesima. How cool is that? The Brébeuf hymnal is the only hymn book which provides settings for it in English, to say nothing of the gorgeous literal translation by an FSSP priest.

About Jeff Ostrowski

A theorist, organist, and conductor, Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004), and did graduate work in Musicology. He serves as choirmaster for the new FSSP parish in Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife and children.

Could Pope St. Pius X Sing?

“On 12 March 1908, the complete publication of the Roman Gradual was issued by the Vatican Press. On that very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. A witness of the audience says that Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement pro aliquibus locis—it was the Introit of the new Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.” (Catholic Choirmaster, February 1915)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Julius Bas Accompaniment

A very prolific harmonizer of Gregorian chant in the early 20th century was Mr. Julius Bas. He often uses a very strange technique, wherein he employs rests to eliminate the Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Consider what he did with “Lumen ad revelationem” here:

* JPEG • Lumen ad revelationem

It seems quite lazy, and I’ve never seen anyone else use such a technique, although Dr. Peter Wagner often switched to parallel octaves when he ran out of ideas… (Yuck!)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Hitting wrong notes

Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, used to say: “The organist can play 1,000 correct notes and one wrong note—and the only thing people will care about is the wrong note.” Last Sunday I hit some wrong notes, and felt bad. Then I remembered a story about Rudolf Serkin and started to chuckle. Charles Rosen (or was it Leon Fleisher?) told the story of Serkin playing a Beethoven Sonata in front of a large audience. The theme is all in octaves; but Serkin hit some wrong notes, and played parallel 7ths instead. This so unnerved him that every time the theme returned, he played the entire thing in parallel 7ths! We must remember that even the greatest hit wrong notes. Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Sviatoslav Richter, Egon Petri—they all hit wrong notes, which we can hear on recordings. (Josef Hofmann was an exception, but he was super-human so he doesn’t count!)

—Jeff Ostrowski