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Views from the Choir Loft

“The Fifteen Best Catholic Hymns” • Wait……

Jeff Ostrowski · April 21, 2021

EVERAL YEARS AGO, in a traditionalist publication, a certain author created what he called: A List Of The Fifteen Best Hymns. He included the following: (1) At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing; (2) The Lamb’s High Banquet We Await. Do you see the problem? If that author had purchased the Brébeuf hymnal, he would have known those are both the same hymn! They are English translations of Ad Cœnam Agni Providi (also known as Ad Regias Agni Dapes after 1631AD). It makes no sense to create a list of “best hymns” containing duplicate entries. Willard Romney is not a different senator than Mitt Romney. John Ellis Bush is not a different governor than Jeb Bush. Eldrick Woods is not a different golfer than Tiger Woods.

Our Core Problem?

The author claimed he was an expert on hymnody—yet he was guilty of a rookie’s error. I sometimes wonder if church musicians make the mistake of talking about the sacred liturgy in ways the average Catholic cannot understand. In other words, we “assume” Catholics know things they actually don’t. We “assume” folks in the pews understand concepts which are—to be completely honest—quite complex for those who haven’t dedicated their lives to church music. We “assume” Catholics know the difference between a COLLECT and an INTROIT. We “assume” Catholics realize 30+ different translations exist for each Latin Breviary hymn. We “assume” people realize what 88 88 meter is, or 86 86, or 87 87 87.

Consider this live recording from last Sunday. How many people know what happens at marker 0:23—in terms of what the voices do?

Failure To Communicate Well

Church musicians: Is this what we’re doing wrong? Do we need to start speaking about the sacred liturgy in what we would consider painfully obvious language? Are be boring our potential students because we “assume” they have the same command of these subjects as we do?

If an “expert” of hymns doesn’t even realize he’s listing the same text twice, what can we reasonably expect from the “average” Catholics in the pews? (I hate talking about “average” Catholics, but hopefully you get the point.)

Do we too often fall into the trap of speaking to people, not at the level they are, but at the level at which we desire them to be?

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Hymn Meters, Hymnbooks, Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal Last Updated: April 21, 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

“The Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic, and non-vernacular.”

— Blessed John XXIII (22 February 1962)

Recent Posts

  • PDF Download • “2025 Booklet for Participants for the Sacred Music Symposium” — (155 pages)
  • 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?

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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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