Views from the Choir Loft

Indispensable & Accessible: Fr. Samuel F. Weber Propers in English

Richard J. Clark · October 16, 2020

N INDISPENSABLE resource and gift to the Church is the comprehensive work of Rev. Samuel F. Weber O. S. B. In 2014 Ignatius Press published his Proper of the Mass. More recently, he has published additional volumes including Propers for Weekdays, Proper and Common for the Saints, and for Christian Initiation:

• Volume II: Proper of the Mass – Entrance, Offertory, and Communion Antiphons for Weekdays of the Temporal Cycle • Click here to download

• Volume III : Proper of the Mass – Entrance, Offertory, and Communion Antiphons for Proper Commons of Saints • Click here to download.

• Volume IV: Proper of the Mass – Entrance, Offertory, and Communion Antiphons for the Conferral of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation Click here to download.

MORE ASTONISHING is that they are available for FREE at Fr. Weber’s website: Sacred Music US. There is so much on this website that it is perhaps overwhelming at first. It is a treasure-trove!

ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENTS

In addition, he offers organ accompaniments. Although handwritten, they are clear and easy to read. This offers an opportunity for those not as familiar with chant notation to access the abundance Fr. Weber has offered. You may download the complete organ accompaniments (2,502 pages!) here.

These three volumes are especially useful for daily Mass. Often there are multiple options for each antiphon that range from Solemn to more simple, to a simple psalm tone. This too accommodates a range of abilities, rehearsal time, and preference. The antiphons possess sublime elegance that grace the Novus Ordo Mass with simple, yet proper reverence and solemnity. These are clearly rooted in the traditions of Gregorian Chant, as one will recognize myriad chant formulae.

While Fr. Weber’s work has become a staple at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and at St. John’s Seminary in Boston, this music is truly for every parish. He makes singing the propers at Mass easy to access both musically and financially.

While Fr. Weber is generous in offering free downloads, I find the hard volumes to be most useful and easier to navigate on a daily basis. Please support his extraordinary work!

Thank you, Fr. Weber!

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

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

Music List • (Easter Sunday, 2026)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for Easter Sunday—a.k.a. “Ad Missam in die Paschae”—which is 5 April 2026. Please feel free to download it as a PDF file if such a thing interests you. The Fauxbourdon for Communion is particularly moving.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Sprinkling Rite”

Liturgical reformers who gained power after Vatican II frequently caused great suffering to musicians. With the stroke of a pen, they sometimes make changes that would require thousands—or even millions—of man hours (work undertaken by composers and editors). The Sprinkling Rite during Eastertide is but one tiny example. The version given in that PDF document was the original melody for Roman Missal, Third Edition. Some still prefer that version. However, at the last moment, an “unknown hand” tinkered with a few notes in the antiphon. Those who examine the current edition can verify this with their own eyes.

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘Sarum’ Good Friday?

Plainsong of the Roman Rite has many variants—i.e. slight ‘variations’ or ‘alterations’ made to the ancient melodies. Variants often thrive in particular religious orders. Likewise, before Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, Gregorian Chant variants were frequently associated with individual cathedrals in England: Hereford, Lincoln, Salisbury, and so forth. In the early 20th century, the (Anglican) organist at Westminster Abbey married “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” to this beautiful variant melody from England. Those who sing Gregorian Chant on Good Friday will recognize the melody. What do you think of this pairing?

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Gregorian Chant Quiz” • 24 March 2026

How well do you know your Gregorian hymns? Do you recognize the tune inserted into the bass line on this score? For many years, we sang the entire Mass in Gregorian chant—and I mean everything. As a result, it would be difficult to find a Gregorian hymn I don’t recognize instantly. Only decades later did I realize (with sadness) that this skill cannot be ‘monetized’… This particular melody is used for a very famous Gregorian hymn, printed in the LIBER USUALIS. Do you recognize it? Send me an email with the correct words, and I promise to tell everybody I meet about your prowess!

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)

I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”

For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.

—Jeff Ostrowski