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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

“Victimæ Paschali Laudes” • Nineteen (19) Organ Accompaniments

Jeff Ostrowski · April 6, 2022

Updated Version:

*  “Victimæ Paschali Laudes” • Thirty-One (31) Different Versions

*  PDF Download • 2 VERSIONS (Latin + English)
—English Translation approved for liturgical use in the United States by the USCCB.

HOSE WHO PUBLISH books on Gregorian chant almost never speak about the “French vs. German Trochee.” Why is that? I actually can’t think of anything more important. The only author who treats this subject is Dom Johner—and he only includes a tiny section. For our purposes, a trochee is a word whose accent falls on the penultimate syllable. Trochees are words like: Déus, própter, nómen, méus, plantátus, posuísti, diérum, florébit, confitéri, prævenísti, and so on. A trochee is different from a dactyl, whose accent is on the ante-penult. (Dactyls are words like: Dóminus, quóniam, illúminas, témperas, Líbani, córnibus, átriis, lápide, longitúdinem, and so forth.) Both the French and the Germans treat dactyls the same; so there’s no issue with dactyls. But there’s a major issue with trochees.

No Help: The first thing to realize is that the official version (a.k.a. Editio Vaticana) doesn’t give you any help. It leaves the interpretation to each choirmaster:

*  PDF Download • EDITIO VATICANA (Singer)
—“Víctimæ Pascháli Láudes” (Sequence) • Dominica Resurrectionis.

French Trochee Method: The French school (a.k.a. “ictus rhythm of Dom Mocquereau”) does not elongate the accent of each trochee, as you can see here. It’s almost like the tonic accent has been moved to the final syllable of each trochee. When you harmonize strictly according to the Dom Mocquereau “ictus” method, you end up with this organ accompaniment. Some people feel this method bumps the tonic accents erroneously: “recóncilíavít” instead of reconciliávit; peccátorés instead of peccatóres; “victímæ” instead of víctimæ; “rédemit” instead of redémit; and so forth. You can hear a female choir sing the VICTIMAE PASCHALI LAUDES accompanied by that “French Trochee” score if you click here.

Father Fortescue: Courtesy of the forthcoming Campion Missal, 3rd edition (Sophia Institute Press, 2022), we’ve received a special English translation of “Víctimæ Pascháli Láudes” created by Father Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923).

*  PDF Download • Father Fortescue (ENGLISH VERSION)
—“Víctimæ Pascháli Láudes” (Sequence) • Dominica Resurrectionis.
“French Trochee” accompaniment for Father Fortescue’s Version

English Again, But Different: A priest of the Fraternity of Saint Peter recently sent us his “singable” translation of the VICTIMAE PASCHALI LAUDES. This priest was trained in Germany, and it seems best to sing his version with the “German Trochee” method. I have made two slight modifications to his score, and these are indicated by an italic font:

*  PDF Download • FSSP Priest (ENGLISH VERSION)
—“Víctimæ Pascháli Láudes” (Sequence) • Dominica Resurrectionis.

For the record, if you sing that version according to the “French Trochee” method, you would end up with this organist score.

“Germanic Trochee” Harmonizations:

To understand the “German Trochee Method,” simply download this sheet. The German Trochee can even be found in psalm tones; check out ámen.

*  PDF Download • Max Springer (1910s)
—Max Springer (d. 1954) was organist at the Saint Emmaus Monastery (Prague).

*  PDF Download • Father Franz Xaver Mathias (1936)
—Father Mathias founded the SAINT LEO INSTITUTE FOR SACRED MUSIC in 1913.

*  PDF Download • Dr. Peter Wagner (1910s)
—Wagner founded the “Gregorian Academy” in Fribourg, Switzerland.

*  PDF Download • Nova Organi Harmonia (1944)
—Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel was choirmaster at the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold (Belgium).

*  PDF Download • Monsignor Nekes (1910)
—This is an awful accompaniment, yet Msgr. Franz Nekes was quite popular in Germany.

“French Trochee” Harmonizations:

*  PDF Download • Giulio Bas (1874-1929)
—Giulio Bas was the editor of the “Rassegna Gregoriana” (Rome).

*  PDF Download • Desrocquettes (1887-1972)
—Dom Jean Hébert Desroquettes was organist of Solesmes Abbey.

*  PDF Download • Achille P. Bragers (1887-1955)
—Bragers taught at the Pope Pius X School of Liturgical Music (Manhattanville College, New York).

*  PDF Download • Achille P. Bragers (TRANSPOSED)
—This has been transposed very high.

*  PDF Download • (first) Henri Potiron (1882-1972)
—Potiron was Choirmaster of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Paris).

*  PDF Download • (second) Henri Potiron (1882-1972)
—Another version by Henri Potiron.

*  PDF Download • Father Andrew Green (1865-1950)
—Father Green headed the music department at St. Benedict’s College (Atchison, KS).

*  PDF Download • Dom Gregory A. Murray (1905-1992)
—Dom Murray was a Downside Abbey monk who eventually came to hate Mocquereau’s method.

*  PDF Download • Dr. Eugene Lapierre (1957)
—Lapierre (University of Montreal) granted Roger Wagner his doctorate “in absentia” (from California).

*  PDF Download • Father Percy Jones (1952)
—Dr. Percy Jones lived until 1992 • He produced the Pius X Hymnal (Australia).

*  PDF Download • Dr. Ted Marier (1970s)
—The famous hymnal created by Dr. Theodore Marier has been reviewed by Daniel Craig.

*  PDF Download • Nicola A. Montani (1920)
—Nicola A. Montani produced the Saint Gregory Hymnal (1920).

*  PDF Download • Father Carlo Rossini (1932)
—Father Carlo Rossini produced the Parochial Hymnal (1936).


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

*   Something rather peculiar: Dom Desrocquettes died the same year as Henri Potiron died, and was born the same year as Achille P. Bragers was born.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Dr Peter Wagner Gregorian, Easter Sequence, French Vs German Trochee, Monsignor Franz Nekes, Rev Fr Adrian Fortescue Liturgy, victimae paschali, Victimae Paschali Laudes Last Updated: March 22, 2024

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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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President’s Corner

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR shamefully 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 Holy Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand while it’s sung … even though everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia. Furthermore, 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
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th 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 alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Kids’ Choir Sings Thomas Aquinas
    Last Sunday, a children’s choir I’m teaching sang with us for the very first time at Sunday Mass. Females from our main choir sang along with them. If you’re curious to hear how they sounded, you can listen to a ‘live’ recording. That’s an English version of TANTUM ERGO by Saint Thomas Aquinas. That haunting melody is called GAUFESTRE and was employed for this 2-Voice Arrangement of a special hymn for 9 November (“Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome”) which replaces a Sunday this year.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Reminder” — Month of September (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Prohibiting or suspecting the extraordinary form can only be inspired by the demon who desires our suffocation and spiritual death.”

— Robert Cardinal Sarah (23-sep-2019), chosen by Pope Francis to be the Vatican’s chief liturgist

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