• 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)

  • Our Team
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Saint Antoine Daniel KYRIALE
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
  • Donate
Views from the Choir Loft

“An Irish Hymnal?” • 126 Pages (English and Gaelic)

Jeff Ostrowski · September 18, 2022

ECAUSE THE UNITED STATES was once a colony of Britain, some citizens continue to hold the Irish in contempt. If you doubt this, search Google for HIBERNOPHOBIA. When some Americans hear “Irishman” they immediately think of an unsophisticated, dirty, lazy alcoholic. For myself, I consider Irish culture to be quite beautiful—and very Catholic. (Readers might remember that John Henry Cardinal Newman was instrumental in the founding of the CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND in 1854.)

Superb Irish Melody • Below is an Irish hymn found in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. It’s called “Domhnach Trionoide.” I find it elegant and haunting … and singers love it!

Irish Catholic Hymnal • Father Jerry Threadgold (d. 2016) published an interesting Catholic hymnal in 1973. It’s called the VERITAS HYMNAL, and you can still find a copy of the pew edition online. When we consider the general state of church music in the 1970s, I would argue that Father Threadgold’s book was one of the better attempts. It has a 22 September 1973 IMPRIMATUR from the Archbishop of Dublin and a PREFACE by William Cardinal Conway (d. 1977). I find some of the pairings a little odd. For example, consider this text by Dom Gregory Murray paired with the melody for O Sacred Head Surrounded from the VERITAS HYMNAL:

*  PDF Download • Hymn Number 10 (Dom Murray)

Organ Accompaniment • A reader sent in some sample pages from the Organ Accompaniment to the VERITAS HYMNAL. I must say, the formatting in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal is so much better, because each verse is written out, for when the organist must ‘double’ as cantor:

*  PDF Download • Organ Accompaniment (Sample Pages)

Gaelic Hymns? • It’s not easy to get a straight answer regarding whether Gaelic is spoken by the Irish people. When I spoke to someone in Ireland, she said: “Oh, we absolutely speak Gaelic here.” Another person told me Gaelic is not actually spoken, but it’s taught to children in Irish schools. In any event, the hymns in Gaelic look pretty funky! A few examples:

*  PDF Download • EXAMPLE A (Gaelic Hymns)
*  PDF Download • EXAMPLE B (Gaelic Hymns)
*  PDF Download • EXAMPLE C (Gaelic Hymns)

Same Question Again • I have asked this question a billion times, but I can’t help repeating myself: “What would Catholic music have been like if the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal had been available in the early 1970s?” Imagine if the innovations of the Brébeuf Choral Supplement had arrived back then! Imagine if the high quality and luxurious “feel” of the pew edition had been available back then, including the splendid color page sections. Imagine if the rehearsal videos had been (somehow) available back in the 1970s!

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Irish Catholic Hymnal Last Updated: September 25, 2022

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 Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Oh, the happy choir director who is hired to start work on a brand new choir, or who walks into his first rehearsal a total stranger to the existing group—what a fortunate man he is! The new choir director who is a former member of the choir, or a member of the congregation, or the nephew of the alto soloist, or a former altar boy, or otherwise well acquainted with the choir, is in for a few headaches.”

— Paul Hume (1956)

Recent Posts

  • Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
  • PDF Download • Belgian Book of Gregorian Accompaniments (Official Edition)
  • Don’t You Agree About These?
  • Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
  • Crucial Tip For Choir Directors

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2023 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.