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Views from the Choir Loft

“Talk Is Cheap” • Advice For Music Directors

Jeff Ostrowski · June 29, 2021

RESH OUT OF COLLEGE, I was working on home construction when our Foreman was approached by somebody looking for work, who began loquaciously explaining how much he knew about carpentry. The Foreman cut him off: “Don’t tell me what you know; grab a hammer and show me.” Talk is cheap. When it comes to directing choirs, this adage is particularly apt. As we discussed in Keeping Choir Members Happy, a choirmaster who doesn’t spend zillions of hours preparing will soon have no choir. The choristers will “sense” if the choirmaster is disorganized, unqualified, negligent, or boring…and many will stop coming back. Anybody can talk about choral music, but demonstrating how one’s choir actually sounds in real life is the only test that counts!

Preparation Is Crucial: The choirmaster is kept on his toes by the choir members themselves. I say again: if choir members begin to feel their time is being wasted, they’ll stop showing up for rehearsals. If you fail to carefully plan your rehearsal, you’ll be eaten alive by the choir members…and rightfully so! A good choirmaster always has plenty of exciting, powerful, fun music to rehearse—as well as a PLAN A, PLAN B, PLAN C … and even a PLAN D.

The Foundation: At the parish where I serve as choirmaster, we do tons of Renaissance polyphony. For example, this brief excerpt was recorded last Sunday. [It’s part of the “Kyrie Eleyson” from a Mass by Father Guerrero we’re in the process of learning: Missa de Beata Virgine.] We also do enormous amounts of plainsong, as well as many other styles of music, which I discussed in a recent article about diversity. Such a foundation is essential.

This Will Save Church Music: But those who stand in front of a choir in real life realize that sacred music is not limited to plainsong or Renaissance music. Something very useful would be a collection of simple, powerful, elegant, theologically correct hymns which are fully Roman Catholic. Until the appearance of the Brébeuf hymnal, such a book was not available. Dr. Theodore Marier’s hymnal had been out of print for forty years; and the New Westminster Hymnal had been out of print for seventy years! Simple hymns teach volunteer choirs how to listen to one another and how to blend into a beautiful choral sound. The following video was recorded LIVE last Sunday. It is the Eucharistic hymn “Adóro Te Devóte Latens Déitas” translated by Most Reverend Edward Gilpin Bagshawe, the Roman Catholic bishop of Nottingham. It’s not perfect, but each time we sing this hymn it will improve:

Ladies Only: There are about six hundred billion different things you can do with a decent hymn tune. For instance, it can be sung a cappella. It can be sung in unison with organ. It can be sung SATB with organ. The final verse can be transposed. It can be sung with organ interludes between each stanza. It can be sung with only male voices, only female voices, or alternating. The final verse can have a Soprano descant. The possibilities are endless. Below is a live recording wherein the Soprano voices begin before Alto voices are added at the second stanza. We sing the Latin version (since we are at the Extraordinary Form) but the Brébeuf hymnal also includes a version in English:

Truly Catholic Hymns: There is something you might notice about the previous two hymns: They are Roman Catholic texts translated by Roman Catholic clergy. That is what makes the Brébeuf hymnal so amazing: it doesn’t mimic or “build upon” Protestant hymnals. It is Catholic to the core. The next hymn—which singers love to sing—is no different. It is a 10th-century Roman Catholic hymn translated by Monsignor Ronald Knox. We have mentioned it before, but now I am providing a live recording from yesterday’s Mass (27 June 2021). Please remember this is a 100% volunteer choir:

They Fell In Love: Choir members love singing that hymn. And why shouldn’t they? It has an awesome tune with fabulous harmonies. The text by Monsignor Ronald Knox contains splendid lines such as this:

“Boundless thy praise be,
whom no limit boundeth, |
God in three Persons,
high in heaven living, |
Where adoration,
homage and thanksgiving |
Ever resoundeth.”

Talk Is Cheap: Since 2019, a certain musician has ruthlessly attacked the Brébeuf hymnal by means of invective, calumny, and false statements. It was suggested that I should “reply publicly” to this man—but I declined, because that would elevate his scandalmongering. It turns out this guy currently serves as “assistant accompanist” for a Protestant place of worship! But on the internet, fake names are common—so most won’t realize he’s totally unqualified to speak about the Catholic liturgy. What chutzpah this man has to publicly calumniate the Brébeuf hymnal when he doesn’t even direct a choir! What cheek he has to pontificate on Catholic hymnals when he doesn’t even direct music in a Catholic church!

A Special Bond: If you have ever stood in front of a choir in real life, you have a special bond with other choirmasters. Only we know how extremely difficult it is to direct choirs; there’s never enough rehearsal time! The very first words spoken to me by the best choral teacher I ever had were as follows: “Only two people at a school must publicly show their results: The coach and the choir director. All the other teachers can goof around safely behind closed doors in their classrooms—but the coach and the choirmaster must show their work in public. Not easy!”

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

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Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Dr Theodore Marier, Latin Mass Musical Diversity, Monsignor Ronald Knox Traditional Mass, New Westminster Hymnal, Roman Catholic Hymnals, The Catholic Hymnal Last Updated: June 30, 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 Sanctus and Benedictus are one text and should be sung through without a break. The practice—once common—of waiting till after the Consecration and then singing: “Benedictus qui venit…” is not allowed by the Vatican Gradual.

— Father Fortescue, writing in 1912

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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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