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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

Imposing the Classical Style on Public Building Projects?

Fr. David Friel · February 17, 2020

rchitecture in our nation’s capital is a mixed bag. Many of the Smithsonian Museums and other federal buildings are built in classical style. The National Archives, which houses permanent records created by the Congress, Supreme Court, and other agencies, is a good example.

The Eisenhower building, home to many offices of the executive branch of government, is a splendid example of the French Second Empire Style.

The Pension Building, now serving as the National Building Museum, is an attractive example of Renaissance Revival architecture.

My favorite building (and tour) in all the District of Columbia is the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, the interior of which could pass for a Romanesque cathedral.

Not all the buildings built here, however, are so distinguished. Many of the more recent Smithsonian buildings, for example, depart drastically from the general tenor of the National Mall.

Among the ugliest buildings in this fair city is the J. Edgar Hoover Building, headquarters of the FBI. A remarkable number of other agencies and departments (e.g., the Department of Education) inhabit equally ghastly spaces.

So far, I have only pointed out public buildings. The disparity, however, is also noticeable in private buildings. Take, for example, this magnificent home on Logan Square.

Now compare it to the scores of new projects that look more or less like these.

It has been reported that the White House is considering an executive order that would establish the classical architectural style as the “preferred and default style” for new and renovated federal buildings. This is an interesting proposal.

I am personally split on the matter. I agree wholeheartedly with the premise that public building projects have been on a poor architectural path for several decades, but I oppose a solution that would pretend that a single style of architecture should be preferred. Thus, while I strongly favor taking action to avoid monstrosities such as the Hoover building, I am not in favor of restricting future projects to the classical style alone. The Eisenhower Building, the Lincoln Memorial, and Union Station, for example, differ substantially from each other, yet each is beautiful. Our nation’s capital would be a poorer, less beautiful place without these dissimilar, yet equally handsome, buildings.

I am interested to see whether this executive order comes to fruition. I am also interested to learn that the President has recently appointed James C. McCrery II, AIA and Duncan G. Stroik, AIA as members of the federal Fine Arts Commission. Both are experts in their field and involved in firms at the forefront of renewal in Catholic church architecture.

Whether this particular executive order comes to pass or not, the matter of public architecture deserves attention. As the recently deceased Sir Roger Scruton argued so passionately, starving ourselves of beauty is not a path forward.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty, Sacred Architecture Last Updated: February 24, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and 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

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

Luys de Villafranca, master of the altar boys—who are to be distinguished from the choirboys (“seises”) because they study only plainchant whereas the choirboys live with the chapelmaster and study polyphony and counterpoint as well—is rewarded on October 17 with a salary increase of 6,000 maravedís and an extra 12 bushels of wheat.

— Sevilla Cathedral: Chapter Resolution (7 September 1565)

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