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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

Recorded Music At Mass?

Jeff Ostrowski · June 12, 2020

HAVE frequently been asked some variation of this question: “Jeff, you often pontificate about Josef Hofmann, insisting—along with Sergei Rachmaninov—that no other pianist comes anywhere near him; but why exactly is this?” Of course I don’t have an answer, but I believe part of the answer has to do with the fact that Josef Hofmann came to prominence before there was such a thing as recorded music. Later on, Thomas Edison changed all that with his phonograph. (By the way, Josef Hofmann as a teenager assisted Edison with his invention!) Hofmann was trained in an era during which all music was ‘live’—and I believe we can never return to such a situation…or comprehend what it was like.

Consider that in 1900 the world contained approximately 1.6 billion people; currently, there are 7.5 billion people. Certainly we have child prodigies today, but not on the level we used to. Research the young Camille Saint-Saëns, the young Josef Hofmann, or the young Felix Mendelssohn. For that matter, research the early career of Lorin Maazel, who was conducting major orchestras at the tender age of eight! I would submit that today’s virtuosi cannot match those of 100+ years ago. Music, in general, has changed so much. Something else to ponder: in 1923 Vladimir Horowitz (with violinist Nathan Milstein) premiered violin concerti by Karol Szymanowski (d. 1937) and Sergei Prokofiev (d. 1953). That was possible because in those days it was 100% common—and fully accepted—for violinists to play concerti accompanied by the piano! Time haves changed.1

Recorded Music At Mass?

These days, people often ask: “Why can’t we have recorded music at Mass?”

I think the best answer was given by Father Peter Gee, FSSP, close to three decades ago. When I asked him why we can’t play records at Mass, he instantly replied: “Because the Mass is something living.”

P.S.

For the record, our contributor (Mr. Keven Smith) attended the school founded by Josef Hofmann: The Curtis Institute. I hope he will (eventually) find time to share some stories with us!

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Speaking of Vladimir Horowitz, before 1953 he was quite fantastic. He had numerous operas memorized, plus tons of chamber music and concerti, to say nothing of his solo repertoire, which was massive: Brahms, Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Bach-Busoni, Mussorgsky, Beethoven, Scriabin, Haydn, Mussorgsky, Schumann, and so forth. To give just one example, early in his career Horowitz accompanied (singer) Zoya Lodaya in Schubert’s Winterreise cycle, and Horowitz played the entire piano part from memory—a feat worthy of Friedman or Hofmann! By the way, after 1953, Horowitz’s playing deteriorated in a huge way, although he was paid massive amounts of money to perform until the day he died; again, a strange paradox which is not unrelated to what I’ve been talking about, in terms of our society’s appreciation for serious music. Times have changed; and so has music.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Josef Hofmann Pianist Extraordinaire Last Updated: June 13, 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 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

The frequent elisions, as in the verse “Hoc óstium arcae in látere est Genti ad salútem pósitum” (feast of the Sacred Heart) make for an unpronounceable and unsingable hymn, and slightly less so does the hymn for Christ the King.

— Archbishop Hannibal Bugnini

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