Views from the Choir Loft

Covid-19 • “A Word Of Encouragement”

Jeff Ostrowski · May 27, 2020

OU PROBABLY noticed I’ve been reticent when it comes to the Covid-19 crisis and America’s reaction. Early on, I made the decision to say very little about this subject, because I noticed that many of my dear friends (for reasons I don’t fully understand) became incapable of thinking about Covid-19 in a rational way. Instead of using the powers of Right Reason given to us by Almighty God, certain people chose to react purely with emotion. That’s why I decided to avoid arguments, Facebook postings, and so forth.

God gave me incredible parents. I have found strength when I remember all they did for us; even strength to resist “giving in” to the Covid-19 panic which our media (wrongly) tells us is more powerful than Jesus Christ.

Over these next few months, I want to try reach out to our readers. I would like to see how you are doing—I know so many of you are experiencing incredible pain and suffering, although it’s not easy to “pinpoint” the psychological damage of America’s Covid-19 reaction.

In times like these, we must reach out to friends.

I consider our readers to be Brothers and Sisters in the Lord.

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