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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Communion Antiphon” (with organ accompaniment)

Jeff Ostrowski · September 1, 2020

HOSE OF US LIVING in Los Angeles have basically been locked in our homes since March due to the government’s Covid-19 response. This has added even more isolation to our society, which was already “secluded by electronic devices.” Something missing from our society is the sharing of “life moments.” For example, I experienced tremendous joy about six months ago. Every year during the Sacred Music Symposium, I teach a course on multi-track recordings, but I was starting to question whether these classes were doing any good, and then…SURPRISE! Former students revealed the marvelous Brébeuf Virtual Choir, which they named after one of my favorite saints. 1 When I saw what those kids were doing with the Brébeuf Virtual Choir, my heart was moved. I felt like I was making a difference! And now, I have another “life moment” to share. A former student of mine—thrilled by our recent focus (01, 02, 03) on the Graduale Romanum—has revealed to me a project “in the works” for several years. Essentially, composers have come together to create simple settings of the Roman Gradual with harmonizations based upon Organum comitans ad Graduale sacrosanctae romanae ecclesiae, a production of the LEMMENSINSTITUUT (now part of the University of Leuven, where Fulton J. Sheen went to school). These settings strike me as especially fitting during what Dr. Tappan described as “Covidtide.”

Here’s a sample of their project, which can be shared freely:

*  PDF Download • “Seek first the kingdom of God”
—Simple settings from the Roman Gradual, posted with permission.

This text is the Communion Antiphon for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time; but it can also be used for any Sunday during Ordinary Time. The Roman Gradual says:

In omnibus Missis de Tempore eligi potest pro opportunitate, loco cuiusvis cantus diei proprii, alius ex eodem tempore. Translation: In all Masses of the Time it is permitted to replace the proper chant of the day with another belonging to the same season.

The PRAENOTANDA of the Graduale Romanum adds: “this is so that pastoral necessities may be more widely satisfied.”

Roman Gradual vs. Vulgata

The text of the Roman Gradual is based upon Matthew 6:33, yet it’s hardly identical:

Roman Gradual:
Primum quaérite regnum Dei,
et ómnia adiciéntur vobis,
dicit Dominus.

Translation:
“Seek first the kingdom of God,
and all things shall be added to you,
says the Lord.”

Saint Jerome’s Vulgate:
Quaerite ergo primum regnum Dei,
et iustitiam eius:
et haec omnia adicientur vobis.

Translation:
“Therefore seek first the kingdom of God,
and the justness thereof:
and all these things will be added to you.”

From what I can tell, this new project adheres to the Graduale Romanum, not the Vulgate (which came later).

In Need Of Assistance

The website for the Chaumonot Composers Group indicates they are currently searching for a webmaster and publisher. As a 501(c)3 public charity, Corpus Christi Watershed does not publish any books directly since 2013. The artists we promote—Peter Kwasniewski, John Naples, Kevin Allen, Aristotle Esguerra, Peter R. Johnson, and so forth—receive 100% of all profits. Corpus Christi Watershed does not take a “cut” of any sort. This new project is not something our organization can assist with, although we plan to promote it. For myself, I have been published by WLP, but that company was recently purchased by GIA Publications. The website also says they’re in need of someone who can convert their Roman Gradual scores from modern notation into GABC (“Gregorio”). If you can help them in this area, please follow that link!

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   I would like to know who decided on such an awesome name! My guess is a particular young lady who is actually related (believe it or not) to one of the Jesuit martyrs. She recently went off to college in Texas, studying music.

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: Chaumonot Communions, Covid-19 Coronavirus, Graduale Romanum Roman Gradual Propers, Roman Missal Third Edition Last Updated: October 8, 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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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

“After a discussion lasting several days, in which arguments for and against were discussed, the Council fathers came to the clear conclusion—wholly in agreement with the Council of Trent—that Latin must be retained as the language of cult in the Latin rite, although exceptional cases were possible and even welcome.”

— Alfons Cardinal Stickler, Vatican II ‘peritus’

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