Views from the Choir Loft

Can These Youngsters Save Catholic Music?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 8, 2020

CAN DECLARE myself the King of France, but that doesn’t make it so. I can say I’m an Olympic Gold Medalist, but that doesn’t make it so. Similarly, calling a composition “a canon” doesn’t make it a canon. Canons are the most difficult composition to write because they follow strict rules; indeed, canon means “rule.” I thought this was basic knowledge until I came across a shameful book published by GIA Publications called 59 Liturgical Rounds. In this book, editor William Tortolano has taken a whole bunch of tunes and pretended they are rounds (canons). The trouble is, many aren’t. When something is not a proper canon, labeling it as such is pure folly. Such contemptible rubbish—published by a company that was formerly called “Gregorian Institute of America”—makes me wonder whether our current culture is still capable of appreciating even basic realities about the craft of music. Is there any hope left? Such ignorance is enough to tempt one to despair.

…but then I encounter something like The Brébeuf Virtual Choir.

These youngsters—who met one another at the Sacred Music Symposium—recently recorded a piece by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria which contains a perfect canon between the two Soprano lines. These youngsters are doing amazing things; and I am filled with hope.

To download the score free of charge, visit Lalemant Polyphonic and search for #7412. Rehearsal videos for each individual voice are posted there, too.

August 6th is the feast of the Transfiguration; but the piece also works well for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. You can learn more about this amazing piece here:

* Online Article • “Resplenduit Facies Ejus”

If you don’t really understand what a canon is, listen to the following section with Tenor & Bass muted:

The top two voices form the canon: “Canon ad unisonum” and “Resolutio.” Canons are often employed for this text because the previous verse says: “Jesus took Peter and James and his brother John with him, and led them to a high mountain…” Anytime Renaissance composers hear someone “leading” someone else, they try to employ a canon.

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

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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).

“Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.

—Jeff Ostrowski

This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon

This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly

Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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