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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

Ruth Slenczynska & “Traditionis Custodes”

Jeff Ostrowski · February 8, 2022

ACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS; and they’re hard to conceal. The truth will out. For decades, Josef Hofmann was considered the pianist without peer. Every serious artist admitted this. Abe Chasins (himself a phenomenal pianist) reminds us that even Rachmaninov threw up his hands in despair. If Josef played a composition, Rachmaninov would never again play that same piece, exclaiming: “What’s the point? That’s the music; there it is, in total perfection. There’s nothing that can be added to such a performance. And who else can do it but Josef? Nobody!”

Envious Of His Skills: But after Hofmann’s death, two things conspired against his reputation. First, lesser artists were consumed with jealousy over Hofmann’s perfection—Claudio Arrau is a good example—and publicly slandered his art. Secondly, pianism entered into a bad period, one in which individuality and cold conceptions were frowned upon by stodgy, bloodless, robotic pedants who lacked the sophistication to appreciate excellent interpretations. But in recent years, serious pianists have been discovering the art of Josef Hofmann and studying his recordings open-mouthed. In the following video, Ruth Slenczynska (a student of Cortot, Rachmaninov, and Schnabel) speaks about Hofmann:

Puzzling Church Decrees: I’ve been shocked by some of the pronouncements coming from church leaders lately. For example, the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship—Bishop Arthur Roche—recently sent out puzzling instructions which encourage “Ordinary Form” Catholics to ostracize and belittle those who prefer the Missale Vetustum. The Vatican is also currently using the faithful’s donations to pay someone to assemble a secret “enemies list.” That is to say, Bishop Roche has declared that bishops must seek from him (!) a “necessary authorisation” if any priests ordained after 16 July 2021 wish to celebrate the Missale Vetustum. Bishop Roche’s decree directly contradicts the Motu Proprio of Pope Francis (“Traditionis Custodes”) which says bishops have the “exclusive competence to authorize the use of the 1962 Roman Missal.” Furthermore, the document by Pope Francis does not speak of any “necessary authorisation” from Rome; rather, it says priests wishing to use the 1962 Missal “should submit a formal request to the diocesan Bishop who shall consult the Apostolic See before granting this authorization.” Bishop Roche erroneously seems to believe the document was named Traditionis Custos instead of its actual title: “Traditionis Custodes.”

Is This A Dream? Who could believe such a thing? In the history of the Church, the Vatican has never—to my knowledge—sent out instructions telling one group of Catholics to ostracize and belittle another group of Catholics. But cooler heads will prevail … eventually. Josef Hofmann is regaining the renown that (once upon a time) nobody doubted. In a similar way, I believe future Catholics will look back on our times and scratch their heads. They will ask: “Did the head of the CDW really use the faithful’s donations to assemble an enemies’ list of newly-ordained priests?” If we’re still alive, we’ll certainly have some stories to share with our grandchildren!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Bishop Arthur Roche, Congregation for Divine Worship, Josef Hofmann Pianist Extraordinaire, Missale Vetustum, Ruth Slenczynska, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Traditionis Custodes Motu Proprio Last Updated: April 30, 2022

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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

    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th 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 top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

There is a lack of that kind of organization which favors mature judgment. Move on, move on, get it out. Schemata are multiplied without ever arriving at a considered form. The system of discussion is bad … Often the schemata arrive just before the discussions. Sometimes, and in important matters, such as the new anaphoras, the schema was distributed the evening before the discussion was to take place … Father Bugnini has only one interest: press ahead and finish.

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)

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  • PDF Downloads • Four (4) Simple Pieces in Harmony for Men’s Choirs
  • Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)

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