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Views from the Choir Loft

Start the New Year Right with a Spectacular Alleluia

Keven Smith · December 28, 2020

ITURGY IS, FIRST AND FOREMOST, an act of public worship. It also happens to be a skilled teacher. That’s the great thing about being Catholic. Our liturgy doesn’t patronize us by conforming to what we like; it challenges us by giving us what we need.

Of course, liturgy sometimes exalts the spirit beyond what we think possible. A perfect example is the Alleluia chant for the upcoming Octave of the Nativity (Extraordinary Form).

Now, if you asked me to list my favorite Alleluias of the liturgical year, I’ll admit I would have to put Pascha Nostrum (Easter Sunday) in the top position. Even if Holy Mother Church had given us a pedestrian melody for this chant, the fact that we get to sing it on Easter morning—after 40 days of suffering—would increase its poignancy. But the Church has provided for us musically. Pascha Nostrum is nothing short of dramatic. Something about the incipit has always made me want to start it off pianissimo as if our ears can hardly believe we’re hearing the “A” word again. The verse is stunning. The melisma on “immolatus” is one of the most florid of the entire liturgical year. The fireworks are justified; our Pasch has been sacrificed. Our Lord has paid the debt of our sins. Satan loses—then, now, and forever.

But Multifarie Olim (Octave of the Nativity) would be a not-too-distant second. Based on sheer musical merits, it’s easily the equal of Pascha Nostrum. The jubilus is brimming with energy. The verse begins with the same melody but then….soars. The text ties up the Christmas Octave perfectly:

God, who in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all in these days hath spoken to us by His Son. (Heb 1: 1-2)

At this point you might ask, “Why do we sing such straightforward Alleluias for each of the three Masses of Christmas and put off this gem until the Octave?” This is where the Church teaches us. Even as our neighbors began tossing their Christmas trees onto the curb on December 26, we Catholics knew that the Christmas celebration had just begun. Big feasts have octaves, during which we’re encouraged to maintain the festivities for a full eight days.

The Octave of the Nativity underscores this point by prescribing propers identical to those of the Christmas Mass of the Day—except for this spectacular Alleluia, which it has kept hidden away like a final surprise gift.

The Gradual and Alleluia are supposed to prepare us to hear the Gospel. If the Alleluia encourages us to listen attentively, then it has done its job. That’s exactly what Multifarie Olim does. In fact, I remember singing it in Fresno years ago while I had guests in town. Both were non-practicing Catholics, but they came to the sung Mass with me. As the Alleluia verse soared higher and higher, the melody moved them to tears.

If you’re attending an Extraordinary Form Mass for New Year’s Day 2021 and live in an area where you’re allowed to sing, savor this Alleluia. May we all sing it with gusto on New Year’s Day 2022.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty in the Catholic Liturgy, Gregorian Chant Last Updated: December 29, 2020

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About Keven Smith

Keven Smith, music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr, lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Another cathedral functionary, a compañero named (coincidentally!) Francisco Guerrero, departs for the New World sometime before June 8, on which date the benefice held by him comes up for a split among three former choirboys whose voices have changed.”

— Chapter Resolution: 14 February 1562

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