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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

PDF Download • SATB “Alleluia” by J.S. Bach

Jeff Ostrowski · September 28, 2022

N THE PARABLE of Lazarus the beggar, Abraham told the rich man: “There is a great gulf fixed between us and you…” I often feel like the computer screen constitutes a great gulf between myself and the readers of this blog. I wish I could speak to each of you personally (viva voce) and tell you how much rehearsal time can be saved by the “individual voice” rehearsal videos we create. In terms of how many ‘views’ they get, it’s only a fraction of the amount of views garnered by the “equal voice” videos; and that causes me sadness and consternation. Therefore, I will unflaggingly do my best to promote the individual voice rehearsal videos.

“Alleluia” by J.S. Bach • I have been researching the members appointed by Pope Pius X (d. 1914) to the PONTIFICAL COMMISSION ON GREGORIAN CHANT, which was in existence from approximately 1904 to 1913. During my research, I came across a brilliant little “Liturgical Alleluia” by Johann Sebastian Bach (d. 1750) arranged by Monsignor René Moissenet (choirmater at at Cathédrale Saint Bénigne de Dijon in France). There were ten members of the Pontifical Commission. Additionally, there were ten consultors, and Msgr. Moissenet was a consultor.

*  PDF Download • “SATB Alleluia” by J.S. Bach
—Arranged by the choirmaster of Saint Benignus Cathedral (Dijon, France).

M Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #47498 .

Mode 5 Discrepancy • One can easily fill in the verses using “simple” MODE V or “solemn” MODE V. I was surprised to learn that the official version does not have the extra note after the mediant cadence which is found in all the Introit tones:

Was J.S. Bach Catholic? • The question sometimes arises: “Can we sing music at Mass written by someone who was not Catholic?” I must avoid repeating what has already been discussed in great detail. Nevertheless, we can briefly ‘recap’ several points. First of all, it seems to me that singing a hymn strongly associated with an anti-Catholic movement—such as “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott”—would be unacceptable at the Holy Mass. I must admit that Dr. Theodore Marier disagrees, since he included that melody in his famous hymnal reviewed by Daniel Craig. Sometimes associations can fade away. For example, the pipe organ was forbidden by the Catholic Church for centuries owing to its pagan associations, but after those associations faded away, the pipe organ was adopted by the Church as the sacred instrument par excellence.

A Few Examples • What was done by Monsignor Moissenet (d. 1939) was not unusual, because a melody itself cannot be intrinsically evil. A melody is just an arrangement of notes. As Stravinsky used to say: “Composers arrange notes; nothing more.” Those who carefully examine tons of old Catholic hymnals (as the committee which assembled the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal painstakingly did for years) will notice that even irreproachable Catholic hymnals sometimes used melodies written by Protestants. For example, the “Arundel Catholic Hymnal”—which included a letter of praise from Pope Leo XIII—included a Protestant melody by Johann Crüger (d. 1662). It also included a section you’ll recognize from the Gutenberg Cantata by Felix Mendelssohn (d. 1847), who was not Catholic. Including Protestant texts was a different matter, and when Catholic authors employed such texts they usually tried to disguise what they had done. For instance, those who carefully examine the Hosanna Catholic Hymnal (1914) will notice some texts by Protestants, even though that book was edited by Father Ludwig Bonvin (a priest who served as choirmaster at Canisius College, a Jesuit institution in Buffalo, New York). If someone is interested in this subject, I would strongly recommend:

*  “Catholic Sensibility” • What Makes A Hymnal Catholic?

Photograph • A meeting of the PONTIFICAL COMMISSION ON GREGORIAN CHANT in September of 1904:

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Johann Sebastian Bach, Rene Moissenet Alleluia, SATB Alleluia Bach Last Updated: May 1, 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
    My pastor asked me to write brief 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 most recent article speaks about the recent announcement by Pope Leo XIV, which does have an impact on church musicians. Scheduled for publication on 2025 08 10th, it’s called: “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Chants” • 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
    All the chants for 3 August 2025—which is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)—have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (from the book of Wisdom) is stunning. That feast website has been called “the best kept secret of Church music.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Corn” From Heaven?
    The Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures was produced by Roman Catholics in England and bears a 15 March 1958 IMPRIMATUR from the Archbishop of Westminster. Its IMPRIMI POTEST was given by the director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Sometimes words chosen by translators sound funny to American ears. For instance, one of our Responsorial Psalms has as its refrain: “The Lord gave them bread from heaven.” But the British version has “The Lord gave them corn from heaven.” Feel free to examine this with your own eyes. (It comes from Psalm 77.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

Is this the dumbest statement ever written? “When considering texts for his motets, Gombert obtained his inspiration from Scripture—such as the Psalms—as opposed to the liturgy of the Roman Catholic church.”

— Wikipedia

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  • “Chants” • 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
  • “Corn” From Heaven?
  • Gospel Acclamation Verses … Nowhere Assigned?

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