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Views from the Choir Loft

“Introit” (3rd Sunday of Advent) • Sung According the Church’s Official Rhythm

Jeff Ostrowski · December 11, 2022

HE PREFECT of the Congregation for Sacred Rites under Pope Saint Pius X wrote (on 18 February 1910): “A view concerning the Vatican edition of the liturgical chant is being spread which is absolutely false in itself and very prejudicial to the uniform restoration of the said chant in the whole Church. It is insinuated that the Holy Father in publishing the aforesaid edition did not intend to embody in it a special form of rhythm, but to leave to the individual music directors the right to apply to the series of notes, taken materially, any rhythm they deem most appropriate. […] It has always been and still is absolutely foreign to the mind of the Holy Father (and of the Congregation of Sacred Rites) to leave to the discretion of the individuals such an important and essential element as the rhythm of the melodies of the Church.”

In the following video, I attempt to sing the INTROIT FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT in accordance with the Church’s official rhythm:

Freedom for Choirmasters • The Editio Vaticana allows some freedom when it comes to Trochees “slowing down” before a bar line. Each of the following four (4) methods is valid:

If one listens carefully to the monks of Solesmes, they often—although they would deny this—do the reverse of what Dom Mocquereau’s marking say to do. Dom Gajard’s recording of CREDO I is a typical example. Or listen to the Solesmes monks recording of Diviserunt Sibi.

A “Must Read” • The legendary Father Valentine Young, OFM, preached a marvelous homily wherein he analyzes this INTROIT word-by-word.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Abbat Joseph Pothier, Diviserunt Sibi Antiphon, Dom Joseph Gajard OSB, French Vs German Trochee, Mocquereau Rhythmic Signs, Sebastian Cardinal Martinelli Last Updated: December 20, 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

    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

Random Quote

In the place of liturgy as the fruit of development came fabricated liturgy. We abandoned the organic, living process of growth and development over centuries, and replaced it—as in a manufacturing process—with a fabrication, a banal on-the-spot product.

— ‘Pope Benedict XVI, describing the postconciliar liturgical reforms’

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  • Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦

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