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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

New Harmonies! • “To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King”

Jeff Ostrowski · May 19, 2020

EADERS WHO KNOW the Sherlock Holmes mysteries (by Arthur Conan Doyle) will remember the famous quote: “It is said that the barrister who crams up a case with such care that he can examine an expert witness upon the Monday has forgotten all his forced knowledge before the Saturday.” When I had the honor of serving on the committee which produced the Brébeuf hymnal, I learned tons of information about hymns which I’m already forgetting! But one thing I will never forget: SATB hymn harmonizations must be singable. For each hymn, we would compare various harmonizations, and I was astounded at how sloppy some of the editors were…especially vis-à-vis bass and alto lines.

This harmonization is fresh and marvelous—yet eminently singable:


Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #759.

HE TUNE is called “ICH GLAUB AN GOTT,” and was printed in the Mainz Gesangbuch of 1870. I don’t have a copy of the Mainz Gesangbuch. 1 What is the original harmonization for this tune? It’s a mystery—and there may not have been an “original” harmonization, because Dr. Horst Buchholz told me most German organists harmonize at sight. (In other words, they improvise each harmonization.) Even in 2020, it’s quite difficult to obtain a “standard” German hymn book with harmonies. The words to the hymn were written by Monsignor Martin Hellriegel (1891-1981), and the refrain is based upon “Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat.” You can download an organ accompaniment for Christus Vincit composed by Dr. Eugene LaPierre (Dean of Music at the University of Montreal), the man who encouraged Roger Wagner to complete his doctorate “in absentia.” On Palm Sunday, our congregation sings the refrain while they are processing.

You can also download a “Christus Vincit” organ accompaniment composed by Father Aloysius Knauff. Very little is known about Father Knauff, who published the Christ the King Hymnal for Congregational Singing while serving as a priest in Saskatchewan (Canada). The book has a 1954 IMPRIMATUR, and we scanned the entire hymnal and posted it along with tons of other books used as reference materials for the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal. That 1954 book does not contain “To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King,” which is odd considering the name of the hymnal, and how it’s almost exclusively German hymns translated into English.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   If anyone has a scanned copy of the Mainz Gesangbuch (1890), please email it to me. Nobody seems to know what the original melody for “Ich Glaub An Gott” looked like…

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymn for Christ the King, Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal Last Updated: November 1, 2021

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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 Michigan. —(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

There is a lack of that kind of organization which favors mature judgment. Move on, move on, get it out. Schemata are multiplied without ever arriving at a considered form. The system of discussion is bad … Often the schemata arrive just before the discussions. Sometimes, and in important matters, such as the new anaphoras, the schema was distributed the evening before the discussion was to take place … Father Bugnini has only one interest: press ahead and finish.

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)

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