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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • Colossally Stupendous “Missal for the Faithful” — 1,142 pages

Jeff Ostrowski · June 22, 2021

OW IN THE FINAL stages of production, the 3rd edition of the SAINT EDMUND CAMPION MISSAL is being published by Sophia Institute Press. It’s been completely redone, and will be about half the size of the 2nd edition—much less heavy, much less bulky. I serve on the production team, and it’s been amazing to witness the assemblage of Roman Catholic missals, graduals, and hymnaries collected as part of this project.

1954 Plus 1955: Both versions of Holy Week will be provided: Pre-1955 and Post-1955. We have made some fascinating discoveries, and much of what has been published on the internet vis-à-vis the “Old Holy Week” has proven to be incomplete or inaccurate. In other words, the “Old Holy Week” is similar to a treasure that had been neglected and forgotten; it’s absolutely thrilling to be part of a movement to help restore it.

Rare Book From 1882: As I mentioned, our team has collected a magnificent wealth of old books. We use these books for a variety of purposes: “hominem unius libri timeo.” Here’s a spectacular book scanned by Google:

*  PDF Download • Missal for the Faithful (1882)
—“Missel des fidèles contenant le texte du missel romain” (1,142 pages).
Warning! This is a large file: 178MB

Some examples from this sumptuous book:

Drop Caps: The capital letters were also used by John David Chambers in his “Sarum Psalter,” which we’ve mentioned in the past. Those letters were the basis for the colorful drop caps in the 1st edition of the Campion Missal:

Bishop Caloen: The Missal in 1882 was the work of Father Gerardo van Caloen (d. 1932), a famous Belgian Benedictine monk. For a while, Father Caloen was at Beuron Abbey, which had a famous relationship with Henri and Jules Desclée. In 1896, Father Caloen became Abbat of the gorgeous Monastery of Saint Benedict in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1906, Caloen was consecrated a bishop.

Cowboys: All of this liturgical restoration was alongside the crucial discoveries of Abbat Joseph Pothier, who restored for us the true Gregorian rhythm, the authentic Gregorian pitches, and even the fonts and neumes which are still used today. Pothier developed those neumes with the Desclée brothers. It is no wonder that Father Angelo De Santi (d. 1922) called Pothier “master of us all.” What’s fascinating is that Abbat Pothier’s work of restoration was happening at approximately the same time cowboys were running around the United States.

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: Abbot Joseph Pothier of Solesmes, Missale Romanum, Old Holy Week, Pius XII Holy Week, St Edmund Campion Missal Hymnal Last Updated: June 22, 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

Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Like all other liturgical functions, like offices and ranks in the Church, indeed like everything else in the world, the religious service that we call the Mass existed long before it had a special technical name.

— Rev. Adrian Fortescue (1912)

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