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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Holy Week and Easter with Gregorian Chant” (797 pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · July 23, 2020

E WOULD LIKE to thank Mæstro Gustavo Adolfo Valencia Caro for providing this exquisite book—which is extremely rare—printed in Belgium in 1949. Now that Pope Francis has allowed certain parishes to use the “pre-1955” Holy Week, this book is even more welcome than it otherwise would be. Speaking of the “pre-1955” Holy Week, we hope to make an announcement vis-à-vis the 3rd edition of the Saint Edmund Campion Missal before too long…but that will have to wait for another day.

*  PDF Download • HOLY WEEK & EASTER OCTAVE (1949)
—Extremely large PDF file (139MB); 797 pages long.

What a treasure this 797-page book is!

This book is designed for choirs, yet includes the complete Gregorian settings of the Passion of our Lord—I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s very welcome:

Just like the Brébeuf Hymnal, each verse of every hymn is carefully notated, which is wonderful for singers:

The red initials and rubrics are gorgeous:

The red markers for each singer during the Passions are quite striking, and very helpful:

The rhythm is marked according to the “pure” Editio Vaticana, which is still the official rhythm of the Church:

The CANON MISSAE is elegant:

The book demonstrates a prepossessing use of subtle graphics and gentle fonts:

When it comes to the Divine Office, some of the chants are quite intricate—I would need to practice these in advance before attempting them:

Everything required for each Mass is conveniently provided—KYRIE, GLORIA, and so on:

The editors really did think of everything—they even include the “Pange Lingua” of Saint Thomas Aquinas for Holy Thursday, instead of forcing you to consult another book (as some collections do). Just as in the Brébeuf Hymnal, each and every verse is carefully “written out” (notated) directly underneath the musical notes:

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

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Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Pre-1955 Holy Week Last Updated: March 22, 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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • Gorgeous Book

If there is a more beautiful book than Abbat Pothier’s 1888 Processionale Monasticum, I don’t know what it might be. This gorgeous tome was today added to the Saint John Lalande Online Library. I wish I owned a physical copy.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“A father cannot introduce mistrust and division among his faithful children. He cannot humiliate some by setting them against others. He cannot ostracize some of his priests. The peace and unity that the Church claims to offer to the world must first be lived within the Church. ”

— Cardinal Sarah (14 August 2021)

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