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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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“Pope Francis breaks Catholic traditions whenever he wants because he is free from disordered attachments. Our Church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture.”

— Fr. Thomas Rosica (31 July 2018)

Recent Posts

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  • Now Available! • “Hymns of Cardinal Newman: Kevin Allen’s Legendary Choral Settings”
  • Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

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