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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Puer Natus In Bethlehem” — Simple Christmas Hymn (2 Pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · January 3, 2021

E HAVE HAD MUCH TO SAY regarding accompaniment for plainsong. When it’s done well, it enhances the beauty of the chant—but only for certain modes (Mode 8, Mode 7, Mode 1, and so on). But for certain modes, I feel accompaniment is deleterious (e.g. Mode 5). Below is one of my favorite Gregorian chant hymns for Christmas: “Puer Natus In Bethlehem, Alleluia.” I see that Achille P. Bragers has written an accompaniment for it, but I strongly endorse singing it a cappella—I can’t really explain why.

*  PDF Download • MUSICAL SCORE
—Taken from “Mass & Vespers” (Abbey of Solesmes, 1957).

*  Mp3 Download • Recording By Monks
—Dom Gajard worked with these monks, and the “sound” reflects his influence.

My choir sings the men in unison (starting on D-Natural) and adds the women (singing in their low register)—on odd verses—a perfect fifth above—and it sounds incredible.

It’s a medieval Latin Christmas hymn whose text and melody seems to date from around 1350AD.

By the way, “Mass and Vespers” (Solesmes Abbey, 1957) was created by French-speakers, and sometimes it shows. Look how they hyphenate the word “house” in stanza #8.

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

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Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Gregorian Hymn, Medieval Christmas Hymn, Puer Natus In Bethlehem Last Updated: January 5, 2021

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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

19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“So, as in delirium a man talks in a long-forgotten tongue, now—when her heart is rent—the Catholic Church drops twenty centuries without an effort, and speaks as she spoke underground in Rome, and in Paul’s hired house, and in Crete and Alexandria and Jerusalem.”

— A non-Catholic describing the “Hagios O Theos” of Good Friday in 1906

Recent Posts

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  • PDF Download • 2022 “Vespers Booklet” (99 Pages)

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