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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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

“To get people together once a week without an objective is deadly.”

— Dr. Roger Wagner (19 December 1960)

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