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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

Repeating Repertoire? • Father Friel

Fr. David Friel · April 2, 2020

NLIKE many of my fellow bloggers, I am not presently engaged in directing a choir or providing music for liturgies week-to-week. Nor am I a pastor tasked with oversight of a music director. Necessarily, therefore, I bring less to this discussion, but I nevertheless have two brief thoughts to share. The first is more practical, while the second is more theoretical.

First, I did spend about a decade singing regularly in a choir. During that time, there were a number of pieces that I can remember being part of our “repertoire.” The director never referred to them that way, nor did any of the singers, but we all tacitly knew that these pieces were planted firmly in our bag of tricks, ready to be taken out whenever duty might call. Our singing of these works was polished, natural, and confident. The pieces in our repertoire shifted to some degree over the years, although a handful of pieces remained perennially on the list.

My recollection is that these pieces of repertory were a stabilizing factor for us as singers. They reminded us of our capabilities and afforded a needed sense of security. After embarking upon a challenging new piece at rehearsal, particularly if it didn’t go well, our director would often follow up with something sturdily in our repertoire. In doing so, he wordlessly reminded us that—despite apparent evidence to the contrary—we could actually sing.

Second, speaking a bit more theoretically, I think there is value in a balance of the new and the familiar, the repetitious and the adventuresome. Repetition and variety are opposites, yet they are also complementary. This is precisely what makes the genre of “theme and variations” delightful. It is what makes the ABA sonata form and the AABA song form so satisfying. Each involves an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation.

An excess of repetition results in mere sequence, the sort of monotonous product spit out by mechanistic assembly lines.

An excess of variety, on the other hand, is chaotic and “novel” in its pejorative sense.

The right dose of repetition conveys order. The right dose of variety creates interest. Together, they forge something beautiful.

This truth, I believe, can be fruitfully applied to parish music programs. Having a certain “repertoire”—a home-base to which you and your choir can return—is a good and stabilizing thing. So, too, there is value in introducing new music, taking a chance that stretches comfort zones and keeps skills sharp.

Beauty is found in the balance.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty Last Updated: April 3, 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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 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 propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

“Prohibiting or suspecting the extraordinary form can only be inspired by the demon who desires our suffocation and spiritual death.”

— Robert Cardinal Sarah (23-sep-2019), chosen by Pope Francis to be the Vatican’s chief liturgist

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