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Views from the Choir Loft

Vexing? Irksome? • Thoughts On Hymnal Indexes

Jeff Ostrowski · August 7, 2020

INCE WE PROMOTE Latin on this website, I suppose I should say “indices” instead of “indexes.” Bringing words from foreign languages into English can be problematic. Almost everyone pronounces “incipit” with the accent on the second syllable—but in Latin, the word is íncipit. By the way, almost everyone pronounces “Carmina Burana” incorrectly—the word is Cármina, not Carmína. 1 In graduate school, I had a musicology professor who would throw a tantrum if somebody said “concerti” instead of “concertos”—her belief was concerto had entered the English language. (But I personally find “concertos” quite an ugly word.)

Anyhow…

The issue of hymnal indexes: Simple? Complicated? Frustrating? What say you?

Please let us know your thoughts in the Facebook combox. God bless you!



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The Brébeuf hymnal uses accents for Latin words because they make a difference. The word ádvenit has a different meaning than advénit. Indeed, cónditor (“creator”) is quite different than condítor (“pickler”). It’s difficult for me to understand why certain modern publications—the Catholic Truth Society Missal, the Lumen Christi Missal, Father Martin O’Keefe’s Exsultemus, and so on—removed all the accents from the Latin.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal Last Updated: August 7, 2020

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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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    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
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    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
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Some are called not to much speaking, | nor to conversations about the Church, | but, rather, to a deep silence | and to a life hidden in the heart of the Church, | far from wrangling tongues, from speculations, and discord. […] This is the essence of a Eucharistic monastic life.

— Fr. Mark Daniel Kirby (Meditation on Colossians 3:3)

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