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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • Catholic Hymnal by the Bishop of Cleveland, Ohio (84 Pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · March 3, 2020

EFORE ANY WORK at all could begin on the Brébeuf hymnal, the team spent several years amassing an unparalleled collection of old Catholic hymnals. We believed it was essential to know what had been done in the past. Much of what we discovered was of a very low quality—one member of the committee (from another continent) called it “deplorable rubbish”—yet some of what we found was marvelous, and we placed it in the Brébeuf hymnal. Below is “Volume 1” of a collection published by the Bishop of Cleveland, Ohio. If readers find this interesting, I will try to post “Volume 2” as well.

*  PDF Download • Diocesan Hymnal (84 Pages)
—Compiled in 1926 by the Most Rev. Joseph Schrembs, Bishop of Cleveland, Ohio.

Please Note: Just because we are sharing these old hymnals does not mean we endorse the music they contain. The Gregorian accompaniments are strange, even by 1926 standards:

By the way, I wonder when this “Our Father” on page 54 would have been sung. Since it was the 1920s, it was probably sung during Low Mass. Here is a page I find particularly interesting—remember this was 1926!

To download about sixty (60) extremely rare Catholic hymnals we have scanned into PDF, visit the Brébeuf website and scroll down to where it says “Source Material.”

HE OLDER I GET, the more I appreciate how wise it is to (frequently) keep silence. When I was younger, everything was fresh and new. I remember how excited I was to “expose” hypocrisy and errors. Wise mentors would simply look at me and smile; they admired the youthful energy, but human nature was nothing new to them! So they kept silence. These days, I observe such foolishness, cowardice, and hypocrisy. My inclination is to “expose” this nonsense—but it’s usually better to simply ignore it. Something that bothers me deeply is to observe Catholic bloggers and authors constantly claim they want to improve the liturgy—yet when they have an opportunity to help, they won’t lift a finger, because they’re too busy writing their 23rd article on Theodore McCarrick. Would it not be better to focus on positive things?

I believe the Brébeuf hymnal will eventually be recognized for what it is: a desperately needed resource, essential for any Catholic parish serious about the Faith. I use it for all four (4) Masses each Sunday, as well as Solemn Vespers (which we have each Sunday afternoon). The Brébeuf hymnal makes my life so easy! How I wish this resource had been available 20 years ago! Our congregation loves the melodies and texts. The singers literally weep when they sing these melodies, which is quite moving!

The Brébeuf hymnal is like an ever-widening vista; my parish could use this book for the next fifty years, yet barely scratch the surface.

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

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Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal Last Updated: April 5, 2020

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Jeff Ostrowski

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

4 March 2021 • Can you spare 15 seconds?

Due to Covid-19, California has basically been under “lock down” for 11 months, and these restrictions have had quite a detrimental effect on our choral programs. We are frequently limited to just 2-3 singers, on account of regulations by the government and our Archdiocese. However, although the number of singers is quite small, I was struck by the beauty of the singing last Sunday. Listen to this 15-second live excerpt and see if you agree?

—Jeff Ostrowski
3 March 2021 • “A policeman” — really?

According to Monsignor Frederick R. McManus, there were “policemen” serving the Sanhedrin in the time of Our Blessed Lord. Look at this awful translation in the 1966 “Saint Andrew Bible Missal” from 1966. Yuck!

—Jeff Ostrowski
Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“So, as in delirium a man talks in a long-forgotten tongue, now—when her heart is rent—the Catholic Church drops twenty centuries without an effort, and speaks as she spoke underground in Rome, and in Paul’s hired house, and in Crete and Alexandria and Jerusalem.”

— A non-Catholic describing the “Hagios O Theos” of Good Friday in 1906

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