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Views from the Choir Loft

The best 5 seconds in Gregorian Chant…

Jeff Ostrowski · May 2, 2020

OW WOULD YOU respond to the following question? “What are the best five seconds in the entire Gregorian repertoire?” I must admit my own answer undoubtedly comes from being an Altar Boy for so many years. Anyone who has served the Holy Saturday Vigil will recall how special, fantastic, and mysterious it is. For some reason, the following melody causes a tingle down my spine. Translated into English, it means: “This night, long ago, thou didst rescue the sons of Israel, our fathers, out of Egypt, over the Red Sea bidding them pass dryshod…”

Here, then, is my favorite “five seconds” from the Gregorian repertoire:


Father Augustin Bea, S.J.—personal confessor of Pope Pius XII—was certainly not a liturgical conservative. But even he said in the years immediately before the Second Vatican Council: “No concession should ever be made for the singing of the Exultet, in whole or in part, in the vernacular.” If only this statement had been followed…

(Maybe Fr. Bea remembered hearing the Deacon chant the Exultet as a boy, just like I do. It’s something you never forget.)

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

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Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: August 3, 2022

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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

    PDF • “For the Season of Pentecost”
    During the season of Pentecost, you might consider using this 2-page Piece “for the season of Pentecost.” Rehearsal videos are available at #40691, but the lyrics are different. Therefore, make sure your choir members understand that one can rehearse songs that have different lyrics (“CONTRAFACT”).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • (This Coming Sunday)
    Our volunteer choir appreciates training videos, so here's my attempt at recording “Exáudi Dómine Vocem Meam,” which is the INTROIT for this coming Sunday. This coming Sunday is Dominica Post Ascensionem (“Sunday after the feast of the Ascension”). It is sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Volunteer Choir Attempts “Kýrie Eléison”
    My volunteer choir attempted the polyphonic KYRIE that will be sung at this year's Sacred Music Symposium. If you're interested, you can listen to the live recording from last Sunday. The piece is based on the ancient plainchant hymn melody: Ave Maris Stella. Polyphony like this is truly intricate and wonderful. It reminds me of the quote by Artur Schnabel: “music that's greater than it can be performed.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“I vividly remember going to church with him in Bournemouth. He was a devout Roman Catholic and it was soon after the Church had changed the liturgy (from Latin to English). My grandfather obviously didn’t agree with this and made all the responses very loudly in Latin while the rest of the congregation answered in English. I found the whole experience quite excruciating, but my grandfather was oblivious. He simply had to do what he believed to be right.”

— Simon Tolkien (2003)

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