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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

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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 literal translation: “Lord, have mercy—Christ, have mercy,” does not offer much material for an acceptable song text. The words, not having any feminine syllables, are abrupt; the sounds are almost all muted and colorless; the rhythmic flow is too brief. So many people may prefer responses that further extend the song of the assembly, e.g., “Have pity on us, Lord” or “Pardon us and change our hearts.

— J. Gelineau attacking the KYRIE ELEYSON (page 64 in “Learning to Celebrate,” 1985)

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