Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Pre-1955 Holy Saturday” (Draft)

Jeff Ostrowski · April 5, 2020

ODAY, I’m releasing something I probably shouldn’t—because it’s “not ready for Prime Time.” Let me explain: The indispensable Goupil Gradual books have everything needed for singing the Traditional Latin Mass, but they were missing Holy Saturday. Holy Saturday was slated to be added later; but suddenly Pope Francis gave permission to certain parishes (including ours) to use the Pre-1955 Holy Week. ¹ So, I am currently in the process of creating a “double” Holy Saturday—useful for Pre-1955 and/or Post-1955.

You can download this ugly “draft” booklet we’re using in the meantime:

* PDF Download • Pre-1955 Holy Saturday (DRAFT)
—This is for Pre-1955 Holy Saturday; it looks ugly because it’s a DRAFT.

It’s a handy booklet to have, notwithstanding the fact that many choirs will desire to substitute the longer, supremely gorgeous, more elaborate versions of the plainsong for Holy Saturday:

If you desire a 1962 version (a.k.a. “Post-1955” or “Bugnini Holy Week”) try this draft copy:

* PDF Download • Holy Saturday (draft) — From 1957
—This is for the “Post-1955” version; in other words, 1962.

NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1 It will be remembered that during the 1950s Annibale Bugnini headed a committee which changed Holy Week.

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

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).

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

15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski

15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski