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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

Ubi Caritas Goes Viral: My Thoughts

Keven Smith · July 27, 2020

By now, you’ve probably seen the video of four men singing Ola Gjeilo’s Ubi Caritas in a stairwell. In fact, you’ve probably had several people forward it to you because they know you’re involved in church music. Just in case you missed it or would like to see it again:

Like you, I enjoyed the video. But I couldn’t just stop there; I had to analyze the whole phenomenon. A few thoughts:

Kings Return can really sing. 

I had never heard of this group, and after doing a bit of online research, I get the impression they’re still making a name for themselves. From what I can hear, they deserve every bit of the viral fame they’ve gained. What a clever way to gain a massive online following in a matter of days—even if that wasn’t their intention.

Listeners are amazed to find themselves enjoying chant….only this isn’t really chant. 

Online commenters are marveling at how beautiful Gregorian chant can be. Some are urging Kings Return to make an all-chant album. But here’s the thing: as Corpus Christi Watershed readers already know, chant generally isn’t sung in four-part harmony. It consists of a single melodic line, which traditionally has been adorned with only the simplest harmonies. Various composers have written motets by harmonizing chant melodies, but that’s not the norm for how chant is performed.

Nor did Ola Gjeilo simply harmonize an existing chant melody to compose this Ubi Caritas. As he writes on the inside cover of the motet published by Walton Music:

As with Maurice Durufle’s beautiful Ubi Caritas from 1960, this setting also draws inspiration from the Gregorian chant tradition. While reflective of the chant style, this composition is entirely original and is not based on any existing chants.

So, what makes Gjeilo’s composition chant-like? That’s a bit subjective, isn’t it? I’d say it’s because the piece has a simple melody with a limited range. It’s also syllabic, meaning there’s generally only one note per syllable of text.

Anyway, if Kings Return made an all-Gregorian chant album, it would probably sound great but it wouldn’t sound like this. Would people still love it? I’m thinking back to that Benedictine Chant album that topped the charts in the mid-1990s and wondering whether a broad audience would embrace Gregorian chant today. Judging by what I hear blasting from car stereos on my way to and from Mass, today’s “music” is devoid of harmonic complexity. Take away the profanity, the racial slurs, and the oppressive rhythm, and it would cease to exist (Deo volente). At least chant has melody. Perhaps the time is right for a mainstream revival.

The SATB version of Ubi Caritas is spectacular.

Kings Return does a wonderful job with Gjeilo’s motet. But don’t deprive yourself of the original SATB setting. The greater range of voices brings out the full potential of this piece:

 

A great motet can work for different voicings, though. Ubi Caritas is available for purchase in SATB, SSAA, and TTBB settings. In addition, Gjeilo himself has recorded a version in which he interjects piano improvisations between the choir’s phrases.

 

This piece is learnable.

Are you intrigued by Gjeilo’s motet but not sure if your choir is ready to learn it? The modern harmonies may sound challenging to a choir that’s just beginning to explore SATB repertoire. But my church choir learned this piece several years ago at a time when we were solid on a lot of Renaissance repertoire but hadn’t sung much modern music.

Here are the main challenges we encountered:

  • There are some “crunchy” chords. Be prepared to play them on the piano—and have patience with your singers.
  • There’s soprano divisi. You’ll need to balance your people strategically. But if your choir is like mine, you’re stacked with sopranos and thin in the other sections!
  • Tuning is challenging at the recapitulation. The soprano line tends to go flat here. If you remind your singers to sing with forte intensity and listen to everything but themselves, I think you’ll find that the tuning fixes itself.
  • The ending calls for a huge crescendo and decrescendo. You really have to go for it, or the whole effect will be lost. Why not include crescendo/decrescendo exercises in every choral warmup from now on?

Your choir’s motivation to sing such a cool piece will probably override these and other musical challenges. In time, Ubi Caritas will become one of your chestnuts, just as it has for us.

There’s a reason why Ubi Caritas remains Ola Gjeilo’s top-selling motet at Walton Music, despite the fact that he has since composed many other impressive works. This is an immensely satisfying piece to have in your choir’s repertoire. Kudos to Kings Return for introducing it to a wider audience.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Sheet Music, ubi caritas Last Updated: July 27, 2020

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About Keven Smith

Keven Smith, music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr, lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th 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 dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on which source text is chosen and what each translator wants to emphasize. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“We must remember that the important elements of a rite are not the things that will first be noticed by a casual and ignorant onlooker—the number of candles, colour of the vestments and places where the bell is rung—but just those things he would not notice: the Canon, fraction and so on, the prayers said in a low voice and the characteristic but less obvious rites done by the celebrant at the altar.”

— Fr. Fortescue explaining that Anglicanism does not preserve Sarum

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