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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 • “Midnight Mass Musical Plan” (2020)

Jeff Ostrowski · December 23, 2020

OMETHING WE HAVE tried to avoid on this blog is constant complaining about the way our government (and our Church) has reacted to Covid-19. The reason for this is simple: Complaining doesn’t solve anything. That being said, there is no question that Covid-19 has turned what’s already a difficult vocation into something even more precarious and arduous. Here in California, we’ve basically been ‘locked down’ since March. The Covid-19 restrictions have constantly been modified, sometimes on a weekly basis. For Christmas this year, our parish will have five Masses (whereas on Sundays, we have six Masses).

I am fearful to release our “musical program” for Midnight Mass; it’s rough with ugly formatting … but here goes:

*  PDF Download • MUSICAL PLAN (Midnight Mass)
—Rough document showing musical selections, with ancient manuscripts.

A friend of mine thought readers would enjoy seeing it, because I placed ancient manuscripts next to each piece, along with rehearsal videos.

Sacred Scripture is full of mysteries. Father Michael Irwin, FSSP, reminded us that the Bible says angels “sang” at the birth of Christ—but what precisely does that mean? Angels have no voices. According to Father Irwin, there is much we don’t understand about the Bible. Indeed, the Catholic Church Herself has never explained some of what is contained in the Book of Revelation. A very great fault—perhaps the greatest fault—of today’s theologians is an inability to say three words: “We don’t know.” In any event, God made known the Birth of Christ to shepherds; why shepherds? Precisely because shepherds were looked down upon; they were considered so “worthless” that the testimony of a shepherd was not accepted in court:

A Dutch manuscript from the 1400s shows the Nativity of Christ:

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Annunciation to Shepherds Last Updated: December 23, 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

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

An Indult of the “Commission for Russia” (25 November 1929) authorizes Bishops and Administrators Apostolic in Russia to permit the celebration of Mass and the reception of Holy Communion in the afternoon or evening, on condition that a Eucharistic fast of four hours from noon be observed.

— Sacred Congregation of Rites, 25 nov 1929

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