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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

“Pope Pius XII Psalter” • How different was it?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 21, 2020

ANY AUTHORS point to the revised Holy Week (made mandatory in 1955) as the beginning of the Vatican II liturgical reforms. For example, Vincentian Father Carlo Braga, who assisted Archbishop Hannibal Bugnini (d. 1982) in the creation of the 1955 Holy Week, called it “the head of the battering ram which pierced the fortress of our hitherto static liturgy.” But Father Braga gave himself too much credit; the real “battering ram” was the Psalter of Pope Pius XII, a project begun toward the beginning of World War II, and released for optional use in 1945, two months before Hitler surrendered. The psalter was eventually abandoned; for example, Father Valentine Young (†2020) said his Franciscan province adopted it for a while but eventually went back to using the Vulgate. To give a quick comparison: The revised Holy Week of 1955 left all sacred music virtually intact, whereas the adoption of the Pius XII Psalter would have meant every chant book ever created would have to be thrown in the garbage, and not one of the psalm settings by Palestrina, Victoria, Guerrero, Lassus, or Morales could be used.

Just How Different Was It?

I possess a 2,000 page book printed by the Abbey of Solesmes which uses the Pius XII Psalter. (You’ll be hearing more about this soon.) This book contains an English translation of the Pius XII Psalter. Did you catch that? The book contains an English translation of the Pius XII Psalter—it’s not the traditional Douay-Rheims, because that wouldn’t work.

See if you agree that the Pius XII Psalter is quite different. Here’s Psalm 110:

*  PDF Download • COMPARISON — Psalm 110

47672-Psalm-110-COMPARISON-Pius-XII-Psalter
47658-Breviary1942-Solesmes-Psalm110
47669-psalm-110-Pius12psalter

Incidentally, many readers know that Monsignor Ronald Knox is featured in the Brébeuf Hymnal. In the 1930s, the Catholic hierarchies of England and Wales asked Monsignor Knox to translate the entire Bible into English, and his edition was published in the 1940s. The Hebrew version of Psalm 110 is an Alphabetical Acrostic, and look how Knox brilliantly reflected this:

All my heart goes out to the Lord in praise,
Before the assembly where the just are gathered.
Chant we the Lord’s wondrous doings,
Delight and study of all who love him.
Ever his deeds are high and glorious,
Faithful he abides to all eternity.
Great deeds, that he keeps still in remembrance!
He, the Lord, is kind and merciful.
In abundance he fed the men who feared him,
Keeping his covenant for ever.
Lordly the power he shewed his people,
Making the lands of the heathen their possession.
No act but shews him just and faithful;
Of his decrees there is no relenting.
Perpetual time shall leave them changeless;
Right and truth are their foundation.
So he has brought our race deliverance;
To all eternity stands his covenant.
Unutterable is his name and worshipful;
Vain without his fear is learning.
Wise evermore are you who follow it;
Yours the prize that lasts for ever.

Canticle of Zachary

Perhaps one of our readers could explain why the Canticle of Zachary (“Benedictus”) was altered under Pius XII. It comes from the Gospel of Saint Luke, not the Psalter—unless I am gravely mistaken. Pope Pius XII did not alter the Magnificat, but he altered the Canticle of Zachary, as you can see:

*  PDF Download • COMPARISON — Canticle of Zachary

You can verify my accuracy:

47670-Canticle-1942-Solesmes
47671-Solesmes-Pius-XII
47672-Canticle-Zachary-COMPARISON-Pius-XII-Psalter

The Nóva órgani harmónia was revised to accommodate the 1955 Holy Week, and you can see they adopted the Pius XII Psalter:

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

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Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: BEA PSALTER, Insane Pacelli Liturgical Practice, Pope Pius XII Psalter Last Updated: September 8, 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

    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“Who dreamed on that day that within a few years, far less than a decade, the Latin past of the Church would be all but expunged, that it would be reduced to a memory fading into the middle distance? The thought of it would have horrified us, but it seemed so far beyond the realm of the possible as to be ridiculous. So we laughed it off.”

— Archbishop Dwyer of Portland (26-Oct-1973)

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