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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

A Teaching Moment • Including “Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 17, 2021

NE OF THE GREATEST Church musicians used to speak of those “who know what the butter costs.” When I was younger, I didn’t understand what he meant: Why on earth does the cost of butter matter? But now that I’ve been a choirmaster for twenty years, I understand perfectly what it means—and why he used it. I think he could have added another phrase to his arsenal: Silence stings.

Silence Stings: Nothing is more frustrating than being ignored, especially when we discover an injustice demanding an explanation. Sadly, it reminds me of certain leaders in the Catholic Church who say publicly: “My mission is transparency; I will gladly engage anybody in dialogue, even the most marginalized.” Those are nice words … but if you try and get an appointment with such a leader, you’ll quickly discover that no such meeting will ever take place.

A Pressing Question: I would love to publicly debate those who edit Catholic hymnals. I desperately want to ask them: Why do you keep printing hymnals according to 18th-century technology? Do they know what it’s like to be a choirmaster? Do they realize the enormous physical and psychological obstacles we face already? How is it possible that the Brébeuf hymnal was the first project to address these basic issues in a satisfactory way? Why do Catholic hymnals continue to delete verses and use the “ugly stack” method (see below)? Why will nobody answer my questions?

Deleting Verses: Most Catholic hymnals truncate hymns by deleting verses! This is very annoying because if a hymn only has 2-3 verses, it won’t cover the liturgical action it needs to, such as Holy Communion. Even the “best” Catholic hymnals—with only a few exceptions—normally delete 50% of the verses. For example, look at this page from the New Saint Basil; that hymn is supposed to have seven verses!

Note: The Brébeuf hymnal does not delete verses; it gives you all the verses!

The “Ugly Stack” Method: Most hymnals, if they do include all the verses, put the final stanzas at the bottom, like this. That’s terrible, because it is more likely choirs will sing the ending verses in SATB harmony; whereas it’s unlikely they’ll begin with SATB harmony and switch to unison for the rest. But if the stanzas are at the bottom, SATB is out of the question (with the possible exception of very short hymns, such as 66.86 meter). Even worse is the English method, which puts the music on a different page from the lyrics. Other hymnals adopt the “Ugly Stacked” format, which squeezes all the verses between the staves—but that makes it difficult: difficult to savor the poetry and difficult to match the notes with the words.

Note: By carefully writing out each verse, the Brébeuf hymnal solved these problems in a marvelous way. Organists and choir members love this!

What Does All This Mean? Let me give you an example from real life. The other day, my choir sang for more than two hours: Solemn Vespers, Solemn Mass with full polyphony and Gregorian chant, and a Procession. More than 90% of my choir members struggle with reading music, but we didn’t have time to rehearse the hymn. So what did we do? We had the Sopranos sing first, then the Altos, then the Tenors, then the Basses—as shown in this live recording:

It came out absolutely gorgeous; and it’s all thanks to the brilliant way the Brébeuf hymnal formats the music.

You can hear a “studio” recording here:

Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #783.

My Final Question: Why don’t more volunteer take advantage of these rehearsal videos? They save precious time during rehearsals.

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

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Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above Last Updated: August 25, 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

    New Bulletin Article • “21 September 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 21 September 2025) discusses some theological items—supported by certain verses in ancient Catholic hymns—and ends by explaining why certain folks become delirious with jealousy when they observe feats by Monsignor Ronald Knox.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
    It’s always amusing to see old diocesan newspapers—in huge capital letters—advertising the Cheapest Catholic Paper in the United States. The correspondent who sent this to me added: “I can think of certain composers, published by large companies in our own day, who could truthfully brag about the most tawdry compositions in the world!” I wonder what she could have meant by such a cryptic comment…
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Dom Murray Harmonies
    Along with so many others, I have deep respect for Dom Gregory Gregory Murray, who produced this clever harmonization (PDF) of “O SANCTISSIMA.” It’s always amazed me that Dom Gregory—a truly inspired composer—was so confused when it came to GREGORIAN CHANT. Throughout his life, he published contradictory statements, veering back-and-forth like a weather vane. Toward the end of his life, he declared: “I see clearly that the need for reform in liturgical music arose, not in the 18th and 19th centuries, but a thousand years earlier—in the 8th and 9th centuries, or even before that. The abuses began, not with Mozart and Haydn, but with those over-enthusiastic medieval musicians who developed the elaborate and flamboyant Gregorian Chant.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Karl Keating • “Canonization Questions”
    We were sent an internet statement (screenshot) that’s garnered significant attention, in which KARL KEATING (founder of Catholic Answers) speaks about whether canonizations are infallible. Mr. Keating seems unaware that canonizations are—in the final analysis—a theological opinion. They are not infallible, as explained in this 2014 article by a priest (with a doctorate in theology) who worked for multiple popes. Mr. Keating says: “I’m unaware of such claims arising from any quarter until several recent popes disliked by these Traditionalists were canonized, including John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. Usually Paul VI receives the most opprobrium.” Mr. Keating is incorrect; e.g. Father John Vianney, several centuries ago, taught clearly that canonizations are not infallible. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen would be another example, although clearly much more recent than Saint John Vianney.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Vatican II Changed Wedding Propers?
    It’s often claimed that the wedding propers were changed after Vatican II. As a matter of fact, that is a false claim. The EDITIO VATICANA propers (Introit: Deus Israel) remained the same after Vatican II. However, a new set of propers (Introit: Ecce Deus) was provided for optional use. The same holds true for the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great on 3 September: the 1943 propers (Introit: Si díligis me) were provided for optional use, but the traditional PROPRIA MISSAE (Introit: Sacerdótes Dei) were retained; they weren’t gotten rid of. The Ordo Cantus Missae (1970) makes this crystal clear, as does the Missal itself. There was an effort made in the post-conciliar years to eliminate so-called “Neo-Gregorian” chants, but (contrary to popular belief) most were retained: cf. the feast of Christ the King, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and so forth.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The Church, which so long had preserved Latin consciously as a bond of unity, had quite suddenly decided to discard it as a useless encumbrance. With this rejection, and as an almost inevitable consequence, went out the window also the whole magnificent musical heritage of the Church. For when you change your language you also change your song. The Jewish exiles hanging their harps beside the waters of Babylon, so long ago, made that discovery.”

— Most Rev’d Robert J. Dwyer, Archbishop of Portland (26 October 1973)

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