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Views from the Choir Loft

The Ability To Say “I Don’t Know”

Jeff Ostrowski · March 17, 2020

Father Valentine Young, OFM, always spoke about people incapable of saying “I don’t know.”  Such people have an answer for everything—as if saying “I don’t know” would cause them physical pain.  That’s how I acted growing up, but I stopped when I reached maturity.  Another thing I did as a kid was insist that I was “the first one” to know everything.  As I child, I would constantly write “TM” (trademarked) on my silly little slogans and nicknames.  When I see adults doing this, I am amazed; it seems so immature. Beware of those who try to “possess” the Traditional Mass or sacred music.

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

Filed Under: Quick Thoughts Last Updated: March 17, 2020

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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

19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
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

Random Quote

No concession should ever be made for the singing of the Exsultet, in whole or in part, in the vernacular.

— ‘Fr. Augustin Bea, S.J. in the years immediately before the Second Vatican Council’

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