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Views from the Choir Loft

Clarion Call To All Choirmasters! • (26 Sept.)

Jeff Ostrowski · September 19, 2021

ICHARD NIXON COMBED his hair the opposite way growing up because as a child he sustained a head injury falling from a horse-drawn buggy. You heard me correctly: Richard Nixon—a man who would live to see the moon landing, the fall of the Soviet Union, and even the advent of the internet (before his death in 1994)—could remember pre-automobile days. This is a reminder to us: “Truth is stranger than fiction.”

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: What will future generations think when they consider our age? Vatican II said “choirs must be diligently promoted” (SC §114), yet virtually none of the spirit of Vatican II parishes promote choirs—instead, they have a single cantor with a microphone. Vatican II said Vespers should be “celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts” (SC §100), yet the spirit of Vatican II parishes ignore that. Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “should be given pride of place in liturgical services” (SC §116) with special emphasis on polyphony and organ music, yet most spirit of Vatican II parishes promote goofy, secular, undignified songs. Vatican II said the Latin language must be preserved in the Latin rites; yet we know what has happened. The list goes on and on. The strange thing is, my parish (which is “Extraordinary Form”) is doing all the things Vatican II wanted!

Injustice Is Real: I suspect anyone who has ever tried to be a faithful Catholic choir director in today’s environment has suffered hardships and injustices. Each of us could probably “write a book” about such experiences. In the United States, it has been particularly painful to observe how the USCCB gives special advantages to composers who (publicly) lead immoral lives and deny Church teaching on various issues.

Mass in a Barn: It is helpful to consider the life of Father Adrian Fortescue, the preëminent scholar of his time. The word “polymath” does not begin to describe this man, who earned three doctorates and was a specialist in a fantastic amount of sundry fields. Fortescue could have had a brilliant career as an Anglican, which is the state-sponsored religion in England (meaning Anglicans have access to luxurious benefices, huge churches, and choirs paid for by the secular state). But Fortescue was only interested in the church founded by Christ—viz. the Catholic Church—therefore he accepted miserable conditions. When he first arrived at his parish, there was no church, so he had to offer Mass in a barn until a church could be built.

Only One Thing: Fortescue also died young—which from a worldly perspective seems such a “waste” of all that education—yet faithful Catholics realize that our time on earth is like “the blink of an eye” and only one thing is necessary (Lk 10:42). Indeed, people who have everything quickly find out that worldly joys do not endure, and many end up committing suicide: Elvis Presley, Robin Williams, Kurt Cobain, Anthony Bourdain, Michael Jackson, and so forth. Shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer, Fortescue put the parish papers in order for his successor, preached his last homily (“Christ our Friend and Comforter”), and entered his little church for a long and final farewell. Fortescue’s biographer says: “He was seen to kiss fervently the altar on which he had so often offered the Holy Sacrifice, about which he had written so profoundly.”

Patron Saints: Catholic church musicians know what it is like to face serious obstacles year after year. I would suggest that the very best patrons we can have are the Jesuit Martyrs, who are the patron saints of North America (Patróni Sáncti Boreális Américae). I say this because these brave men left the most civilized country in Europe to bring the Catholic Faith to the people of the New World, and experienced daily hardships beyond anything we could possibly imagine. Their bravery and faith in JESUS CHRIST was truly heroic—and they remained joyful despite very heavy (daily) crosses. Their EF feast-day is 26 September; their OF feast-day is 19 October. Here is a very brief chart which gives an “overview” of each Martyr:

*  PDF Download • EXPLANATION CHART
—Explaining how each martyr was murdered.

Below, you will find images of each martyr.

59101-Isaac-Jogues-nn78921-IMAGE
59102-Father-Isaac-Jogues-IMAGE
59098-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-nn65038-picture
59097-Isaac-Jogues
59099-Father-Isaac-Jogues-IMAGE
59103-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-Stained-Glass
59100-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-Stained-Glass
STAINED-GLASS CANADA SAINTS

Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
59076-Father-Jean-de-Brebeuf-MARTYR
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf
Saint Jean de Brébeuf

59083-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59081-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59084-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59086-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59085-Saint-Rene-Goupil
59087-Saint-Rene-Goupil

59072-SAINT-GABRIEL-LALEMANT-Martyr-Image
59073-SAINT-GABRIEL-LALEMANT-Martyr-Image
59071-SAINT-GABRIEL-LALEMANT-Martyr-CATHOLIC

59105-Father-Antoine-Daniel-400
59105-Father-Antoine-Daniel-600
59105-Father-Antoine-Daniel-200

59088-Father-Noel-Chabanel-Catholic-Martyr
59090-Father-Noel-Chabanel-Catholic-Martyr
59089-Father-Noel-Chabanel-Catholic-Martyr

59094-Saint-Jean-de-Lalande-stained-glass
59096-Saint-John-Lalande
59095-Saint-Jean-de-Lalande

59092-Father-Charles-Garnier-Catholic-Martyr
59093-Father-Charles-Garnier-Catholic-Martyr
59091-Father-Charles-Garnier-Catholic-Martyr

Some pictures with all the (canonized) Martyrs of North America together:

59067-JESUIT-Martyrs-of-North-America
59066-JESUIT-Martyrs-of-North-America
59068-JESUIT-Martyrs-of-North-America
59062-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-Jean-Brebeuf-Martyrs
59063-Saint-Isaac-Jogues-Jean-Brebeuf-Martyrs

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

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Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Congregation Singing Vespers, Father Isaac Jogues, Father Noel Chabanel, Jesuit Martyrs of North America, Richard Nixon, Saint Antoine Daniel, Saint Charles Garnier, Saint Gabriel Lalemant, Saint John Brebeuf, Saint Rene Goupil, Watergate Scandal Last Updated: September 25, 2023

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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

He stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year-old member of his family a cardinal and subsidize a nephew from the papal treasury.

— Re: Pope Saint Pius V (d. 1572)

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