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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

Gregorian Chant • Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

Jeff Ostrowski · September 28, 2021

OPE LEO XIII—“the Pope of the Rosary”—had an exceptionally long reign. In fact, it lasted twenty-five years; the third longest in the history of the Church. He composed a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel (sometime around 1884) and ordered that all priests recite it after Low Mass as part of the “Leonine” prayers: Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host—by the power of God—cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

I never knew this prayer had been set to plainsong, but while working on the Brébeuf Hymnal, a member of the production team emailed me a 700-page book of Franciscan chants (see below), which contains a remarkable setting:

* *  PDF Download • Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel


Here’s a holy card drawing of Pope Leo XIII.

Be careful, because a “TI” becomes “TE” as shown here:

85030 Flat TE

After Vatican II, it became quite trendy to denigrate something called “Neo-Gregorian” chants. Since this setting was probably composed circa 1890, it would be surely be considered Neo-Gregorian. I can’t deny that some of the Neo-Gregorian melodies are pretty terrible compared to authentic chant. On the other hand, many scholars of chant were dismayed when the Graduale appeared in the early 1970s. It did eliminate the Neo-Gregorian melodies, certainly; but too often the “authentic” replacements were ill-suited to the great feasts of the Church. In other words, for powerful and bright feasts, the antiphons assigned were frequently rather “somber” and “ferial.” These same scholars, therefore, had their choirs reintroduce the Neo-Gregorian melodies, since doing so is explicitly permitted “ad libitum” by the rules of the Ordo Cantus Missae (1970). But let’s face it: Gregorian chant de facto disappeared after the Second Vatican Council, so it seems rather silly to argue about “Neo-Gregorian” vs. “authentic” melodies.

THE FULL TITLE of that Franciscan chant book mentioned earlier is: Cantus Varii In Usu Apud Nostrates Ab Origine Ordinis, Aliaque Carmina In Decursu Saeculorum Pie Usu Parta. You can download all 700 pages, and I encourage you to do so. It contains loads of cool stuff:

* *  PDF Download • Book of Franciscan Chants (21.1MB)

I wish I had this book in 2009, when I was presenting on the “white notes” (as Professor Joseph Lennards dubbed them), because it speaks about them in a lengthy introduction:

85033 MORA VOCIS

On the other hand, it might have been confusing, since that same Introduction does not adhere strictly to the “Pothier” treatment of morae vocis.

By the way, at the very end of the book, you’ll notice excerpts from the “corrupt” Reims-Cambrai edition of 1895. This reminds us what monks had to do when certain feasts were not available in the “reformed” chant, and was quite common. Dom Pierre Combe says Guéranger and Pothier initially sang from the Reims-Cambrai because “it was the least corrupt.” That is true…but it’s also possible they chose it because it was quite popular in France in those days.

This article was originally published on 6 April 2019.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Editio Vaticana Preface, Saint Michael the Archangel Last Updated: September 28, 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

    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    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

Random Quote

“If we continue to tolerate sad examples of liturgical abnormalities, experimentation, abuse, and simply poor-quality liturgies, why should we single out those connected to the ancient rites of the Church for special vigilance? It just doesn’t seem right.”

— An Example of a response (sent to Pope Francis) Re: the TLM

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