Views from the Choir Loft

Saint Paul’s Choir School Presents “Starry Night: Christmas in Harvard Square”

Richard J. Clark · December 15, 2020

HE SAINT PAUL’S Choir School in Cambridge, Massachusetts has been a beacon of light during a dark time for both education and music. One of the very few schools that has offered in-person instruction five days a week, they are also one of the few choirs operating at a high level, maintaining the highest standard of sacred music for the Sacred Liturgy.

This has come about though great investment, adaptation of space, and preparation to implement ongoing above-and-beyond safety precautions. This includes singing with masks, installation of aggressive filtration and ventilation systems, and testing of all personnel—including for this filming.

Under the direction of Internationally acclaimed conductor, organist, and composer, James Kennerley, the Saint Paul’s Choir of Men and Boys presents Starry Night: Christmas in Harvard Square

* * Click here to watch the entire concert and for information to register.

* * The full concert will be available to all donors ($20) beginning on Friday, December 19 at 7pm (Eastern Time GMT-5) Links to the concert will be provided in the donation confirmation email and will activate on Friday, December 19 at 7pm (Eastern Time GMT-5).

Watch a preview with Theodore Marier’s arrangement of Silent Night:

Program:

Bring a Torch, by Jeanette Isabella, arr. by Keith Chapman

Once in royal David’s City, by H.J. Gauntlett and A.H. Mann, arr. by David Willcocks

In the Bleak Midwinter, by Harold Drake Adam Lay Ybounden, by James Kennerley

Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, by John Rutter

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, by Richard Willis, arr. by James Kennerley

Silent Night; by Franz Gruber, arr. by Theodore Marier

Nativity Carol, by John Rutter Ave Maria, by Franz Biebl

Lux Aurumque, by Eric Whitacre

I Wonder as I Wander, by Carl Rütti Sir Christèmas, by William Mathias

Hark! The herald angels sing, by Felix Mendelssohn, arr. by David Willcocks

Personent Hodie, arr. by James Kennerley

The performance is conducted by SPCS Director of Music and Choirmaster James Kennerley, with accompaniment by Assistant Director of Music Maks Adach, as well as Kennerley.

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

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).

‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase

Father Adrian Porter, using the cracher dans la soupe example, did a praiseworthy job explaining the difference between ‘dynamic’ and ‘formal’ translation. This is something Monsignor Ronald Knox explained time and again—yet even now certain parties feign ignorance. I suppose there will always be people who pretend the only ‘valid’ translation of Mitigásti omnem iram tuam; avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuæ… would be “You mitigated all ire of you; you have averted from your indignation’s ire.” Those who would defend such a translation suffer from an unfortunate malady. One of my professors called it “cognate on the brain.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Father Cuthbert Lattey • “The Hebrew MSS”

Father Cuthbert Lattey (d. 1954) wrote: “In a large number of cases the ancient Christian versions and some other ancient sources seem to have been based upon a better Hebrew text than that adopted by the rabbis for official use and alone suffered to survive. Sometimes, too, the cognate languages suggest a suitable meaning for which there is little or no support in the comparatively small amount of ancient Hebrew that has survived. The evidence of the metre is also at times so clear as of itself to furnish a strong argument; often it is confirmed by some other considerations. […] The Jewish copyists and their directors, however, seem to have lost the tradition of the metre at an early date, and the meticulous care of the rabbis in preserving their own official and traditional text (the ‘massoretic’ text) came too late, when the mischief had already been done.” • Msgr. Knox adds: “It seems the safest principle to follow the Latin—after all, St. Jerome will sometimes have had a better text than the Massoretes—except on the rare occasions when there is no sense to be extracted from the Vulgate at all.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Music List” • 9 Nov. (Dedic. Lateran)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 9 November 2025, which is the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. 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 sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Our Father” • Musical Setting?

Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?

—Jeff Ostrowski