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Views from the Choir Loft

“An Unknown Parishioner Approached Me…”

Jeff Ostrowski · June 7, 2022

EFORE AND AFTER Masses, I’m always extremely busy. Anyone who’s been a choirmaster will understand. We have numerous Masses and numerous choirs (to say nothing of our weekly solemn Vespers). That means I’m always frantically running around like a chicken with its head cut off. One Mass has barely ended when it’s time to start preparing another choir for the next Mass—and warming up the singers (and giving them last minute instructions) is crucial.

A Lady Approached Me: Recently, a woman (whom I’d never seen at church before) came and insisted that she be allowed to speak to me after Mass. She demanded to know the name of the hymn we had sung for Communion, declaring it to be the most beautiful song she’d ever heard. I told her it was #506 in the Brébeuf hymnal: a gorgeous contemporary melody by Kevin Allen. Below is the recording from that day. Notice how the choir jumps to SATB harmony ever other verse:

Alternating Women & Men: We don’t like to sing SATB straight through. We like to use women in unison for some verses, and SATB for the other verses. Below is another example from a recent Mass. (Remember that microphones cannot “capture” a true choral sound, so recordings do not do justice to the beauty of a live experience.) Which do you like better? The women in unison or the SATB verses? I can’t decide:

Not Rocket Science: Many of these choir members had never sung harmonies until February—just a few months ago! These are not professional singers. Yet, the Brébeuf hymnal uses an ingeniously marvelous method of typesetting that places each verse directly under the musical notes. This makes it possible for volunteer choirs to add elegant SATB harmonies to the hymns:

We Must Attract: The sacred liturgy is supposed to be a “delight.” It ought to be beautiful. The fact that somebody I’ve never met insisted on finding out the name of that Kevin Allen hymn means we’re on the right track. “Beauty” should not be a dirty word. If a choir singing plainsong, motets, hymns, and polyphony causes people to hate coming to Mass, that’s not good. Indeed, it might be an indication the music is not being sung properly. Liturgical music should be delightful in the best sense. If you don’t know what hymns are worth singing, pick up a copy of the Brébeuf hymnal. Its tunes are simple—easy to sing—yet they are resilient, well-constructed, dignified, melodious, memorable, traditional, and (to coin a phrase) delightful.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: At the Lamb’s high feast we sing Last Updated: June 7, 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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    PDF • “For the Season of Pentecost”
    During the season of Pentecost, you might consider using this 2-page Piece “for the season of Pentecost.” Rehearsal videos are available at #40691, but the lyrics are different. Therefore, make sure your choir members understand that one can rehearse songs that have different lyrics (“CONTRAFACT”).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • (This Coming Sunday)
    Our volunteer choir appreciates training videos, so here's my attempt at recording “Exáudi Dómine Vocem Meam,” which is the INTROIT for this coming Sunday. This coming Sunday is Dominica Post Ascensionem (“Sunday after the feast of the Ascension”). It is sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Volunteer Choir Attempts “Kýrie Eléison”
    My volunteer choir attempted the polyphonic KYRIE that will be sung at this year's Sacred Music Symposium. If you're interested, you can listen to the live recording from last Sunday. The piece is based on the ancient plainchant hymn melody: Ave Maris Stella. Polyphony like this is truly intricate and wonderful. It reminds me of the quote by Artur Schnabel: “music that's greater than it can be performed.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“In the 17th century came the crushing blow which destroyed the beauty of all Breviary hymns. Pope Urban VIII (d. 1644) was a Humanist. In a fatal moment he saw that the hymns do not all conform to the rules of classical prosody.”

— Fr. Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923)

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