• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

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

  • Our Team
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Saint Antoine Daniel KYRIALE
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
  • Donate
Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Polyphonic Creed Extension” (Perfect Canon Between Soprano & Alto)

Jeff Ostrowski · July 3, 2021

E DON’T KNOW very much about how the Last Supper would have looked. Most scholars believe the Apostles and our Blessed Lord would have been laying down (“reclining”) as they ate. Some scholars have tried to guess how Jewish rituals might have influenced the early Christian rites and “disciplina arcana”—and Father Adrian Fortescue did as well. Because of the words “Postquam cœnatum est,” we know that the chalice our Lord consecrated was the fourth (last) Hallel cup. I am certainly not qualified to add to this type of scholarship in any way.

Dogs In Church: In spite of what certain internet authors assert, there is much we don’t know about the sacred liturgy even in “modern” times—such as the 16th century. Contemporaneous documents show it was quite common to bring dogs into church at that time. The noisy dog sounds were something prayerful Catholics complained about vociferously. What exactly did that look like? It’s doubtful there would have been silence in the nave of the church—even while complex polyphony was being sung! And people back in those days (who had to work so hard) often smelled bad … which is why incense was used according to some sources. Furthermore, how long did it take the Celebrant to pray the Canon? Examining the length of certain settings (SANCTUS + HOSANNA + BENEDICTUS + HOSANNA), it would seem the priest took a very long time saying the Canon.

Make It Fit Our Times: Therefore, Catholics have always needed to adapt traditional music to the sacred liturgy of the times. In today’s environment—for a variety of reasons—it might be imprudent to attempt a full Renaissance setting of the CREDO, which can easily last 9 minutes or more. Therefore, we are “stealing” something from the Germans. The Germans sing the Creed in plainsong, but switch to polyphony for the “Et Incarnatus Est” section. My choir has been singing Credo VII with added polyphonic sections.

An Example: I don’t like hearing my Soprano voice (I’m a Baritone), but my colleague Keven Smith has encouraged me to continue—so here’s my attempt at a simulation video:

*  PDF Download • Credo Extension (Perfect Canon)
—Based off something Father Guerrero published in 1566AD.

Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #62964 .

Singing Is Physical: There is something I wish I could get across: Singing is physical. A recording device cannot reproduce a choral sound. The piano is a percussive instrument, and can be recorded with greater fidelity than a choir. What I’m trying to say is this: A choral sound is something physical, and microphones cannot capture it. We must form choirs; and this requires a minimum of three singers per part. When just two singers tackle a part, one voice will always dominate the other. You don’t have a choir until you have a minimum of three (3) singers per part. Four soloists singing SATB cannot substitute for an actual choir. Listen to this live hymn recording from last week at our parish and see whether you agree no individual voices “stick out.” Because choral music is physical—I’m talking about the sound waves created—there’s nothing as powerful as hearing a real choir sing in real life, especially if they are in “mixed formation.” I believe that we must form choirs and show priests how an actual choir sounds in real life; only then will we begin to see progress in the realm of Catholic Church music.

You can hear an excerpt of my choir singing that Guerrero Credo extension—but please realize that was the first time we attempted it, and it will improve as we continue to sing it.

P.S. To download a “Credo” image from the 14th century, click here.

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

Follow the Discussion on Facebook

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Credo VII, Missa Papae Marcelli Last Updated: July 13, 2021

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

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).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
    “Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work in spite of terrible conditions, their relentless zeal for the faith, their genuine love for the laypeople they served, etc. Overall though—more than anything concrete I can point to that you did or said—it was your demeanor at the Symposium. I could tell you really absolutely love and believe the Catholic Faith. You don’t get that everywhere, even in Church circles. And your humility is what then makes that shine even brighter. It is super inspiring! God is working through you probably way more than you know.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Angularis fundamentum” is typically sung at the dedication or consecration of a church and on church anniversaries. For constructions too numerous to list in recent generations, it would be more appropriate to sing that Christ had been made a temporary foundation. A dispirited generation built temporary housing for its Lord, and in the next millnenium, the ease of its removal may be looked back upon as its chief virtue.

— Fr. George Rutler (2016)

Recent Posts

  • 26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
  • Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
  • What is the Tonic Accent?
  • Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
  • PDF Download • 1909 “Modern Notation” Gradual (Extremely Rare) — 712 Pages

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2023 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

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.