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Corpus Christi Watershed

We’re a 501(c)3 public charity established in 2006. We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and run no advertisements. We exist solely by the generosity of small donors.

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Views from the Choir Loft

Never Released Before! • Unique Version of “O Sacred Head Surrounded” (SATB)

Jeff Ostrowski · March 25, 2021

OW DO YOU get your point across? I’m talking about when you really really really want to get your point across? Teachers are always looking for different ways to get the point across to students. (By the way, if you’re a choirmaster, you’re ipso facto a teacher.) I wish I knew a method that would allow me to get a message to every reader regarding the rehearsal videos available for free. If people only knew about these resources, I think they’d be thrilled. I can’t believe nobody else has done this before now!

We are at it again (with my friends Andrea and Elizabeth) recording Hymn #441 from the Brébeuf hymnal:

Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #441.

O Caput Cruentatum

Please download this special SATB version of “O Caput Cruentatum,” which includes—for the very first time—an English translation:

*  PDF Download • “O Caput Cruentatum” (SATB)
—SATB harmonies, with English Translation courtesy of the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal.

That particular text—not identical to “Salve Caput Cruentatum” as found in the Brébeuf hymnal—is quite mysterious, and even Mr. John Julian doesn’t know its provenance. Andrew Hinkley, a very generous person, has provided a Plainchant Version if you don’t have resources to sing SATB. On 17 February 2021, which seems like just yesterday to be honest, we discussed that Cantus Gregorianus version along with another Lenten hymn called “Jam Christe Sol Justitiæ.”

A Truly Useful Book

One of the cool things about the Brébeuf hymnal happens at the bottom of each page. Reference numbers are given for “last verses.” That means special harmonizations written by organists such as Noel Rawsthorne. These are wonderful to help choirmasters discover interesting ways to harmonize hymn tunes.

Just how ancient are the hymns in the Brébeuf hymnal? Well, the short answer is: about 1,5000 years! Many of these Roman Catholic hymns are also contained in a special “Anglo-Saxon Hymnal” created around 1050AD. This book provides the Latin version, but also translates the hymns into Anglo-Saxon. Here is an example of #526 from the Brébeuf Hymnal:

Eleanor Parker was the one who brought that 11th-century Anglo-Saxon Hymnal to my attention.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal is a truly Catholic hymnal which contains fabulous tunes, marvelous texts, and beautiful Roman Catholic Theology. Just the other day, we spoke of “Ex More Docti Mystico,” which is featured in the Brébeuf hymnal. Here’s how that hymn appeared in the book from 1050AD:

Page 921 in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal talks about when the feast of the Annunciation (25 March) coincides with Good Friday, and I strongly recommend everyone read about that today. Today is the feast of the Annunciation.

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: Jam Christe Sol Justitiae, Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal, O Caput Cruentatum, O Sacred Head, O Sol Salutis Intimis, Sacred Head Surrounded, Salve caput cruentatum Last Updated: June 6, 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 Michigan. —(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

“Much more serious was the problem, what to do about ‘thou’ and ‘you.’ I confess I would have liked to go the whole hog, and dispense with the use of ‘thou’ and ‘thee’, even where the Almighty was being addressed. They do these things in France, but I felt sure you could not get it past the British public. Why not, then, have ‘thou’ for God and ‘you’ for man? That is Moffatt’s principle; but it seems to me to break down hopelessly in relation to our Incarnate Lord…”

— Monsignor Ronald A. Knox

Recent Posts

  • Luis Martínez Must Go!
  • Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
  • PDF Download • “Gospel Acclamation” for 29 June (Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles)
  • “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
  • Available! • Free Rehearsal Videos for Agnus Dei “Mille Regretz” after Gombert (d. 1560)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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