Views from the Choir Loft

[re-post] • “Hymn for the Feast of All Saints”

Jeff Ostrowski · September 10, 2021

OW MANY OF YOU are obsessed with finding the “perfect” hymns each Sunday? I certainly am. For example, recently the feast of the Transfiguration fell during the week. Therefore, the following Sunday I made sure we sang this beautiful hymn for the Transfiguration. Perhaps you are asking: “How many members of the congregation noticed that selection?” Probably zero … but I just can’t stop myself!

Here is a wonderful hymn for the feast of All Saints (November 1st):

A Versatile Hymn: That hymn is also perfect for “general use”—that is to say, Sundays which are not seriously wedded to a particular mystery. It can be called by two different names: Placáre Christe Sérvulis and Christe Redémptor Omnium. To learn more about why hymns received an extra name in 1631AD, pick up a pew copy of the Brébeuf hymnal.

Avoiding Too Much “New” Stuff: When we do a hymn that not many people know, we also mix in a hymn that everyone knows to keep things balanced. Here is the hymn we sang after Mass last Sunday, recorded live:

Fulton J. Sheen used to speak about the meaning of the word martyr, which is “witness” (from the Greek). May the martyrs of Jesus Christ intercede for us:

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

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).

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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

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