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

Corpus Christi Watershed

We’re a 501(c)3 public charity established in 2006. We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and run no advertisements. We exist solely by the generosity of small donors.

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • Ordinary Form Feasts (Sainte-Marie)
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
Views from the Choir Loft

“Benedictus” (Missa Iste Sanctus) • All voices recorded by Corrinne May

Jeff Ostrowski · December 21, 2021

OT LONG AGO, we spoke of the inscrutable decree by Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone, who declared that “the beauty of the Gregorian Chant” and a “sense of reverence” during the Holy Mass are “not consistent” with Vatican II. How can anyone believe such a claim? Vatican II said: “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art” (SC §112). Vatican II said: “Choirs must be diligently promoted” (SC §114). Vatican II said: “the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem” (SC §120). Vatican II said: “The treasury of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care” (SC §114).

Not Just Plainchant: Vatican II said Gregorian Chant must be given “first place” (SC §116) under ordinary circumstances, but also explicitly praised polyphony at Mass. Polyphony is the highest form of music, because each voice has its own melody. At the same time, thanks to the rules of counterpoint—which took hundreds of years to figure out—the independent melodies create harmony. In Masses by the great composers (such as Palestrina, Victoria, Morales, and Guerrero), the melodies themselves are based on Gregorian Chant, but sometimes the melodies are flipped upside down (inversion) or stretched out (augmentation).

They Could Not Kill This: The 20th century saw the decline of the arts, thanks to “sophisticated” avant-garde music.1 But polyphony survived, because sensible musicians realized it was the greatest music of all. Polyphony continued to be taught at secular universities, even by professors who (sometimes) were atheists! Regarding “contemporary” Catholic liturgical music—originally classified as The Hootenanny Mass—composer James MacMillan summarizes: “A lot of the favored new settings are musically illiterate, almost is if they were written by semi-trained teenagers, getting to grips with musical rudiments.” No serious conservatory would ever teach music by composers like David Haas, Rory Cooney, Marty Haugen, Michael Joncas, and Dan Schutte.

Another Reason: Polyphony also survived the “dark days” of the 1970s and 1980s because it’s an absolute delight to sing. The gorgeous lines by Father Francisco Guerrero practically sing themselves! And what a joy it is to work with fine singers! One of the greatest singers I know is my colleague, Corrinne May. She recently recorded all the voices for “Benedíctus Qui Venit” (Missa Iste Sanctus) by Father Guerrero. My singers really appreciate these rehearsal videos:

REHEARSAL VIDEOS for each individual voice and the (free) PDF score await you at #5305.

This “Benedictus” goes along with the SANCTUS and HOSANNA, which is #5454.

Rehearsal videos for the KYRIE (Missa Iste Sanctus) can be found at #5294

Rehearsal videos for the GLORIA (Missa Iste Sanctus) can be found at #5612

Rehearsal videos for the 5-voice AGNUS DEI (Missa Iste Sanctus) can be found at #5512


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   I can’t tell you about “avant-garde” music, because you won’t believe me. If I tell you composers wrote “music” which requires the pianist to fire a nuclear weapon into the audience, you won’t believe me. If I tell you composers wrote “music” which requires placing radios on the stage of Carnegie Hall and listening to static, you won’t believe me. If I tell you composers wrote “music” which requires the pianist to beat the piano strings with a dead fish, you won’t believe me. If I tell you composers wrote “music” which requires the audience to be placed on buses and taken around the city, you won’t believe me. But all those are examples of avant-garde music. There’s even a piece where the pianist just sits in front of the keyboard for 4 minutes and 33 seconds; and that is supposed to be “Classical Music.”

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Francisco Guerrero Composer, MISSA ISTE SANCTUS, Robert E Guglielmone Last Updated: December 26, 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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

Primary Sidebar

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

Nothing should be allowed that is unworthy of divine worship, nothing that is obviously profane or unfit to express the inner, sacred power of prayer. Nothing odd or unusual is allowable, since such things, far from fostering devotion in the praying community, rather shock and upset it—and impede the proper and rightful cultivation of a devotion faithful to tradition.

— Pope Paul VI • 10/13/1966

Recent Posts

  • Hidden Gem: Ascendit Deus (Dalitz)
  • PDF Download • Soprano Descant — “Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above”
  • “Dom Jausions had a skilled hand. His transcriptions are masterpieces of neatness & precision.”
  • Pope Leo XIV pays tribute to Palestrina
  • PDF Download • Palestrina’s “Ave Maria”

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 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.

The election of Pope Leo XIV has been exciting, and we’re filled with hope for our apostolate’s future!

But we’re under pressure to transfer our website to a “subscription model.”

We don’t want to do that. We believe our website should remain free to all.

Our president has written the following letter:

President’s Message (dated 30 May 2025)

Are you able to support us?

clock.png

Time's up