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

Corpus Christi Watershed

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

  • About
  • Symposium
  • Hymnal
  • Jogues Missal
  • Site Map
  • Donate
Views from the Choir Loft

“Hymns for Small Choirs” • The Season of Epiphany

Jeff Ostrowski · January 17, 2022

HE LITURGICAL REFORMS from the 1960s are certainly not irreversible. We know this because so many have already been reversed (and re-reversed) over the last five decades. Examples would include: Communion in the hand; female Altar servers; using an audible voice for the Canon; whether we are free to ignore the Vatican II mandates on Latin; women lectors inside the Sanctuary; secular texts replacing the Propria Missae; whether cardinals are free to reject the second Eucharistic Prayer; whether the USCCB can overrule the GIRM; whether we are free to ignore Vatican II mandates on Gregorian Chant; and so forth.1

Epiphany Too Short: It’s only a matter of time until serious reforms will be made. When that time arrives, the Church must restore the season of Epiphany—which traditionally was very lengthy. The three “cardinal” feasts of the Church (according to Father Fortescue) are: EPIPHANY, EASTER, and PENTECOST. For at least 1,700 years, each cardinal feast gave a “marked character” to its season: Sundays after Epiphany, Sundays after Easter, and Sundays after Pentecost.

(1) Epiphany (which originally included the Nativity) = Christ’s Divinity;
(2) Easter (and its preparatory season, Lent) = Redemption and Resurrection;
(3) Pentecost = how Christ sanctifies the Church.

Trio Of Maniacs: Vatican II never said anything about Epiphany: not one word. The people who reformed the calendar decided to make Christmas and Epiphany very short. (One of the major 1960s reformers—Father Louis Bouyer—called the calendar reformers “a trio of maniacs.”) This year, the season of Epiphany only lasted three days—although it was slightly longer in dioceses where the Epiphany was moved to a Sunday. Three days. Three days! In the traditional calendar, the season of Epiphany sometimes lasted six weeks! Destroying Epiphany was in direct disobedience to Vatican II; cf. SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM §23.

Lack Voices? No Problem: The Brébeuf hymnal is the best source of authentic Catholic hymns for the season of Epiphany. Oh, so many excellent hymns from which to choose! One of them (O Sola Magnarum Urbium) goes all the way back to the 4th century—and the Brébeuf hymnal includes several different translations and melodies for it. Due to the high rate of Covid-19, last Sunday it was necessary for us to choose hymns that can be sung well with a limited number of voices.

Some of you might appreciate these live recordings from last Sunday:

Final Thought: It’s sometimes claimed that the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a “Novus Ordo” invention. This is not true, and betrays a misunderstanding of the different mysteries or “manifestations” celebrated on the Epiphany. Father Adrian Fortescue reminds us: “The Epiphany commemorates three manifestations of Christ’s divinity: the visit of the Wise men, our Lord ’s Baptism, and the miracle at Cana.”

Below are two items for your consideration; one from 1759AD and the other from 1962:

The following hymn—#286 in the Brébeuf hymnal—is for the Baptism of the Lord:


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Notice I’m not telling you whether I agree with certain items; I’m simply pointing out that post-conciliar legislation has frequently been reversed (and re-reversed). You don’t have to take my word for it; the very people who came up with the reforms have made this clear. For example, Giacomo Cardinal Lercaro was president of the CONSILIUM, which was responsible for the 1960s liturgical reforms. On 2 March 1965, Lercaro published an article (in l’Avennire d’Italia) which strongly condemned those who criticized the reforms. But his article also condemned liturgical abuses Lercaro called “fanciful” and “deplorable.” What were those “abuses” condemned by the chief reformer? Lercaro was very specific: (1) Communion in the hand; (2) speaking the Canon in an audible voice.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Baptism of the Lord, Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro Consilium President, Hymns for Small Choirs, Louis Bouyer Oratorian Priest, Non Abluunt Lymphae Deum Last Updated: January 17, 2022

Subscribe to the CCW Mailing List

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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

On 12 March 1908, Feast of St. Gregory the Great, the complete publication of the “Graduale” was issued by the Vatican Press. That very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement “pro aliquibus locis”—the Introit of the new Feast of Our lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.

— A witness of the papal audience writing circa 1915

Recent Posts

  • Review • A Catholic Book of Hymns
  • 23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK
  • PDF Download • “A Canon Choirs Love!”
  • On Mistakes (Part I of II)
  • 19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

Copyright © 2022 Corpus Christi Watershed · Gabriel Lalemant 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.