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Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for March 2020

Jeff Ostrowski · March 31, 2020

Sacred Music Symposium • “What We Avoid”

I wish we had to time to discuss artwork at the Sacred Music Symposium, but there’s just not enough time. At this year’s conference in June, we will sing an absolutely incredible Magnificat setting by Father Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599). If you examine the part books, you will notice a marvelous aesthetic desire to avoid […]

Wilfrid Jones · March 31, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Wilfrid Jones

Post-Liberal Theology compares a religion to a language. How might that comparison, which could include the concept of a “vocabulary” of liturgical music, inform how we think about repeating repertoire?

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Veronica Brandt · March 31, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Veronica Brandt

Sometimes a music director can encounter criticism about the music program. The good side of this is that it shows that someone cares.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 31, 2020

Going Beyond Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s “Take”

Sheen has sometimes been criticized for avoiding mention of the sacred liturgy during his talks, but I cannot agree with such a view. • Includes about the Holy Eucharist, including a quote by Father Leslie Rumble and a quote from Pope Pius X+

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Christopher Mueller · March 30, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Christopher Mueller

I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel this way: certain celebrations don’t feel right without “that piece.”

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Jeff Ostrowski · March 29, 2020

“Abraham” • Guerrero Imitates His Teacher

Father Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599) studied music with Father Cristóbal de Morales circa 1545. He taught himself the organ. On 3 April 1542 he was engaged as a contralto by Seville Cathedral at an annual salary of 12,000 maravedís. He remained there until 1546, when, at the age of only 17, he was invited—on the […]

Patrick Torsell · March 29, 2020

8 Tips • “Improving Live Stream Audio Quality”

Many churches have turned to live streaming during these difficult times. But getting the audio quality right is challenging. Here are some tips!

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Richard J. Clark · March 28, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Richard J. Clark

“Repetition” in the Age of Streaming Masses…

Jeff Ostrowski · March 27, 2020

HYMN • “Vexilla Regis” (SATB setting in English)

Father Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923) called this “perhaps the greatest of all hymns.”

Veronica Moreno · March 27, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Veronica Moreno

My own growth as a musician for the Liturgy has culminated in my pastor allowing me to sing the Propers in English: the realization of a decade-long dream.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 26, 2020

“Jesus Christ Is Risen Today” (Brébeuf Hymnal, #699)

During Advent, choirmasters must plan Christmas. During Lent, choirmasters must plan Easter. And so on.

Lucas Tappan · March 26, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Dr. Tappan

“The tunes and ditties of the radio will be meaningless in the magnitude of one’s final moments; only the psalms can bear the weight of the moment.” —Barry Rose

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Jeff Ostrowski · March 26, 2020

Too much music!

Choosing music for the Sacred Music Symposium requires careful consideration.  We make sure (always) to have great variety. Because the schedule is so full, there’s never sufficient time to discuss the music fully—indeed, we could easily do a month-long seminar on each piece!  For example, last year Dr. Calabrese conducted a setting of the Magnificat […]

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · March 25, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Dr. Calabrese

“I have made the mistake in the past of scheduling a whole set of new pieces for three of four weeks in a row.”

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Jeff Ostrowski · March 24, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Jeff Ostrowski

There’s an old saying: “Show me your friends, and I will tell you who you are.”

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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

“There are no hymns, in this sense, till the fourth century; they were not admitted to the Roman office till the twelfth. No Eastern rite to this day knows this kind of hymn. Indeed, in our Roman rite we still have the archaic offices of the last days of Holy Week and of the Easter octave, which—just because they are archaic—have no hymns.”

— Adrian Fortescue (25 March 1916)

Recent Posts

  • Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
  • PDF Download • Belgian Book of Gregorian Accompaniments (Official Edition)
  • Don’t You Agree About These?
  • Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
  • Crucial Tip For Choir Directors

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