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Views from the Choir Loft

Can Sacred Music Be Saved? • (How exactly?)

Jeff Ostrowski · April 30, 2020

ATHER PETER GEE once preached a sermon on the words of Saint Paul: Behold, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation. He said: “The time for holiness is now—not some faraway day in the future when you’re old.” I feel strongly the time has arrived for us to begin the process of restoring authentic Church music. Towards the end of this article, I give a few practical suggestions on how to move forward. Moreover, I’ve decided to attempt something audacious with our choir here in Los Angeles: We’re going to learn a polyphonic MAGNIFICAT for Solemn Vespers (held each Sunday afternoon at our parish).

I don’t know a more electric, powerful piece than this:

Now I will explain why
I’m extremely sad.

Most people won’t click on #79075; which means they won’t download the special PDF score containing immense amounts of fascinating information. They also won’t take advantage of the individual rehearsal videos (which required countless hours to create) because they’re unwilling to click on #79075. Can you blame me for being upset?

I’m also sad because people who don’t click on #79075 will have no idea how to make sense of this video, since that PDF score is indispensable:

By the way, to help us learn that MAGNIFICAT, we will sing #78969 each week. That’s one of the hardest sections, because it begins on a minor chord. (Maybe Father Morales was in a bad mood when he made that decision!) Beginning on a minor chord is quite difficult, because the intonation must be flawless.

A few thoughts about whether
Sacred music can be saved:

(1) Please don’t think for a second I don’t realize the obstacles we face as church musicians. Believe me; I know what we’re up against. I know how frequently choirmasters are treated unjustly. I know the heavy burdens choirmasters carry…burdens which seem insurmountable. I’m aware of the abuse we suffer on a daily basis. I’m aware of the sacrifices we make. And someday I will reveal the special obstacles we face here in Los Angeles—which are not inconsiderable.

(2) But let us never again become discouraged by these obstacles! Let us resolve to stop dwelling on the cruel things often said to us by uninformed (and unpleasant) people, because dwelling on such things will make our lives miserable. Let us shake off the “nattering nabobs of negativism.”

(3) Something I find essential to survival is choosing truly excellent music: music with “depth.” This is very important. Sometimes we have to dig for it—e.g. transcribing pieces by Palestrina or Guerrero—but choosing awesome music pays off in the long run. The music of composers like Palestrina and Guerrero is so pure, so magical, so mysterious, and so clever. People who click on #79075 can read explanations I wrote—yet even those barely scratch the surface of this music, which has such depth!

(4) Let us remember how cool our singers are! I have about fifty singers in my choirs here in Los Angeles, and they are such great people. They are fun. They want to learn. We have a fun job!

(5) Finally, let’s remember: Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation. Our vocation is to teach our choir members to sing, so let’s get busy! If we have to use Zoom for the present, so be it. They want to learn—they want to “sing, sing, sing.” Let us not waste so much time reading negative online articles by authors who (really) are not experts in their subjects. Let us not become discouraged by the negative and dishonest people we come into contact with online. Let us cherish our friends; let us build one another up! And don’t fool around if a singer has a bad attitude. Never tolerate a bad attitude. Only work with singers who want to learn from you, because life is short!

Let’s not spend so much time worrying. Remember what Father Valentine Young, OFM, said in one of his last sermons before he died: “I have probably suffered more in my life from things that never happened than from things that did happen!”

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Francisco Guerrero Composer Last Updated: May 5, 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

    26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
    “Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work in spite of terrible conditions, their relentless zeal for the faith, their genuine love for the laypeople they served, etc. Overall though—more than anything concrete I can point to that you did or said—it was your demeanor at the Symposium. I could tell you really absolutely love and believe the Catholic Faith. You don’t get that everywhere, even in Church circles. And your humility is what then makes that shine even brighter. It is super inspiring! God is working through you probably way more than you know.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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It would be contrary to the Constitution to decree or even to hint that sung celebrations, especially of the Mass, should be in Latin.

— Annibale Bugnini attacking “Sacrosanctum Concilium” (§36)

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