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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Calling All Church Musicians!

Jeff Ostrowski · May 2, 2021

HURCH MUSICIANS: If you’re trying to make a difference, expect to be attacked in every way imaginable. They will go after your character. They will go after your family. They will publicly repeat falsehoods 1,000 times—there is no calumny they will not embrace. We must expect this treatment! Think about it for a moment…if everyone in the Catholic Church had good intentions, sincere love of God, and decent musical training, would we be in the situation we’re currently in? Again I say: those trying to serve Jesus Christ (especially in the liturgical sphere) will be attacked. Full stop. Frequently, the assaults will come from people claiming to be “the world’s greatest Catholics.” We must learn to expect and embrace this reality!

Artistic temperament: Musicians tend to be quite sensitive. Somebody on the street corner might say: “You’re a terrible composer.” That person might be tone-deaf and struggle to find Middle C. Indeed, that person might be addicted to crack cocaine. But it doesn’t matter. A musician will go to bed that night thinking: “I wonder if that guy was right about my composition skills…”

Real men: Almighty God did not command us to become millionaires. God commanded us to “be fruitful and multiply.” Of course there are exceptions, such as Catholic priests—who do not marry. But some men excuse themselves from getting married (apparently) because they are too busy trying to “win” at Facebook. Many studies have shown that excessive time on Facebook makes men unattractive to women. Facebook enhances personality traits antithetical to those a real man should cultivate. Calling yourself a man doesn’t make yourself one. I know one man (and he’s married!) who can’t stop talking about how manly he is. Yet, he spends most of his time on Facebook arguing with teenage women at my parish!

In praise of priests: On the other hand, some of the most “manly” men I know are Catholic priests (both OF and EF) who have absolutely no interest in activities such as Facebook. Years ago, it was considered insulting to tell somebody “he’s living in his own little world.” These days, people voluntarily create such worlds, where they are in control of everything and can ban anyone who has a different view.

Misery loves company: Be on your guard against people who are miserable; they will try to drag you to their level. Furthermore, watch out for “liturgical snowflakes”—people who would rather die than admit making an error. They need to realize that truly great scholars and artists are always eager to learn. Even Josef Hofmann (!) kept a little notebook with him, in which he would jot down things he learned. Liturgical snowflakes make our work so much more difficult!

Nothing in excess: Technology can certainly be useful, when its use is governed by right reason. But we cannot stress too much the dangers of isolation and excessive “screen time.” Indeed, when it comes to unrestrained negativity, passive-aggressive behavior, character assassination, and so forth—especially on social media—it is important to avoid participating or even glancing at it. Prevent it from entering into your soul. We must avoid it the same way we avoid temptations against the Sixth Commandment, pornography, and so on; that’s how toxic it is.

Solving The Problem :

When churlish, unhappy, evil people attack us, let us read from “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas à Kempis. Or let us call to mind the sufferings of the Jesuits of North America, such as this excerpt from the life of Saint Isaac Jogues:

The Iroquois continued to torture the victims, cutting, stabbing, burning till dusk fell. The prisoners then were placed in one of the houses, each of them stretched on his back—limbs extended—his wrists and ankles bound fast to stakes driven into the earthen floor. It was time now for the children to amuse themselves. They placed live coals on the naked bodies. Sometimes the prisoners were able to shake off the coals. Like little demons, the youngsters chortled with glee when the victims were unable to dislodge the coals.

On the three following days they were placed on the platform, where old and young, men and women, resumed their sport. The crowd surged up on the platform and beat and stabbed the prisoners. A sorcerer approached the priest and cried: “I hate this one most of all.” With that, he commenced to gnaw his fingers. Next, he ordered a Christian Algonquin woman, a prisoner of the Mohawks, to saw off Father Isaac’s left thumb with a jagged shell. She refused. The braves began to beat her and threatened to kill her. Trembling, she at last complied with reluctance.

When the thumb fell to the floor, Father Isaac picked it up and—as he later wrote—“I presented it to Thee, O my God, in remembrance of the sacrifices which for the last seven years I had offered on the altars of Thy Church and as an atonement for the want of love and reverence of which I have been guilty in touching Thy Sacred Body.”

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus Christ told us: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Father Isaac Jogues Last Updated: September 19, 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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President’s Corner

    2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
    Do you direct a choir consisting of women or children only? (Some call this a “treble” choir.) Download a two-voice arrangement of Creator of the Starry Height set to the tune of IOANNES by clicking here and then scrolling to the bottom. In our times, this hymn is normally used during ADVENT, and the Latin title is: Cónditor alme síderum. It’s important to say “cónditor”—placing the accent on the antepenult—because ‘condítor’ in Latin means “one who embalms the dead.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man’s mind to God and to higher things.”

— Vatican II Council

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