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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

13th Anniversary of “Summorum Pontificum”

Jeff Ostrowski · September 14, 2020

N THIS THIRTEENTH anniversary of Summorum Pontificum, I had planned a surprise for our readers. I spent many hours working on this item I was preparing for you—but in the end, things didn’t work out. I’m sorry. I have nothing to give you on this special day. And yet…this can be a reminder. God’s goodness does not depend upon me or my efforts. The Holy Providence of Almighty God will continue, even if I were to die this afternoon.

As Father Valentine Young used to say: “The cemeteries are filled with people who thought they were indispensable.”

74659-Cardinal-Ratzinger-A
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If I could add one thing: I truly believe the actions of Pope Benedict XVI will go down in history as bold, unforeseen, and crucial. We owe B16 so much. “Summorum Pontificum” was the final step in a series of steps Cardinal Ratzinger began in the 1980s. Because of the excellent work Cardinal Ratzinger accomplished, we felt the desire to commission a special drawing of him in 2015:

*  PDF Download • CARDINAL RATZINGER (circa 1988)
A special drawing commissioned by Corpus Christi Watershed.

Again, I’m sorry I don’t have a gift for you today. But this helps me remember that—at the end of the day—God is in control. We must coöperate with His Grace; we are the creatures and He is the Creator. And yet, as Pope Pius IX reminded us: “He who does God’s work does not do so in vain.”

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Summorum Pontificum Last Updated: September 14, 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

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
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

Random Quote

“Today the Church has made a big mistake, turning the clock back 500 years with guitars and popular songs. I don’t like it at all. Gregorian Chant is a vital and important tradition of the Church and to waste this—by having guys mix religious words with profane, Western songs—is hugely grave, hugely grave.”

— Maestro Ennio Morricone (10 Sept 2009)

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