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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

“Gonfalon Royal” • One Of My Favorite Hymn Tunes

Daniel Tucker · August 2, 2020

T THE CLOSE of Vespers on the first night of the 2019 Sacred Music Symposium, hosted in Los Angeles by Corpus Christi Watershed and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), we learned what has quickly become one of my favorite hymn tunes, GONFALON ROYAL. Vigorous and tremendously fulfilling to sing, GONFALON ROYAL first appeared in a 1913 collection entitled Fourteen Hymn Tunes by British composer and organist Sir Percy Carter Buck (1871-1947). In addition to his work as a church musician, Buck was the director of music at London’s Harrow School for boys, as well as a professor of music at various universities, including the University of Oxford, the University of London, Trinity College Dublin, and the Royal College of Music. His scholarship includes books on organ technique, harmony, and acoustics, as well contributions to Oxford University Press’ Tudor Church Music and the Oxford History of Music. Buck’s tune serves as an excellent example of the concept of “melodic compensation,” a principle of 18th-century counterpoint which states that a large melodic skip in one direction should be counterbalanced by an immediate step or skip in the opposite direction.

The word “gonfalon” (from the early Italian confalone) means “flag,” “banner,” or “standard,” and indeed the tune was given the name GONFALON ROYAL because of its association with Venantius Fortunatus’ (c. 540-c. 600) famous Latin hymn text Vexilla regis, known in its English translation as “The Royal Banners Forward Go.” Such banners, especially popular in medieval Italy, were often carried in ceremonial processions marking major liturgical feasts or the feasts of local saints. These cloths, usually made of canvas and decorated with oil or tempura paint, featured depictions of Jesus Christ, the Holy Cross, the Blessed Virgin Mary, local patron saints of villages and confraternities, or other religious imagery. Nowadays, Vexilla regis is prescribed for feasts of the Cross such as the Exultation of the Holy Cross (on September 14), and for Holy Week.

Here’s the Vexilla regis pairing from the Brébeuf hymnal, #528:

But “The Royal Banners Forward Go” is not the only text for which GONFALON ROYAL can be suitably employed. It is known under other hymn titles, such as “Sing to the Lord a Joyful Song” and “O Lord Most High, Eternal King.” Of course, because the tune fits any hymn text in “long meter” (88 88 LM), it is tremendously flexible. In fact, GONFALON ROYAL is matched to more than a dozen different texts in the St. Jean de Brébeuf hymnal, including texts for: Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and All Saints Day; for feasts of the Blessed Virgin, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Cross, and the Holy Name of Jesus; and to texts appropriate for general use. It is a tune which your choirs and congregations will be happy to know and happy to sing as it reoccurs throughout the liturgical year.

Here’s a GONFALON ROYAL pairing with Rex sempiterne, a “general use” hymn which can also be used during Eastertide:

To my fellow church musicians: may we all carry our banners bravely forward, continuing our work faithfully—in ways small as well as large—for the glorification of God and the edification and sanctification of the faithful.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: August 7, 2020

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About Daniel Tucker

Daniel Tucker is choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in South Bend, IN. He holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Yale University. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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’ with regard to 1960s switch to vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th 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 alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “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
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Older priests, therefore, should receive younger priests as true brothers and help them in their first undertakings and priestly duties. The older ones should likewise endeavor to understand the mentality of younger priests, even though it be different from their own, and follow their projects with good will.”

— Pope Saint Paul VI (7 dec 1965)

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