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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 • “Rorate Mass Musical Booklet” (39 pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · December 15, 2022

ANY READERS can probably relate to what I’m about to say. Growing up, I listened to music with such rapt attention that for certain recordings—e.g. Chopin’s FANTAISIE (Opus 49)—I could tell you the exact measure in which the cassette tape would “run out.” When the cassette tape “ran out,” it was necessary to eject the tape and flip it over. A member of the older generation told me something similar: their ears memorized precisely where the record would “skip” in certain pieces. In high school, I worked for a sports complex, refereeing football and umpiring baseball—but I couldn’t wait to get home each evening to learn more music! I listened so carefully, eventually I could tell the difference between great pianists (Cortot, Horowitz, Godowski, Lhevinne, Rachmaninov, Tiegerman, Richter, Hofmann, and so forth) by hearing just a few bars.

Aesthetics • Aesthetics are crucial, but one cannot begin with lofty concepts such as agogics and quarter-pedaling. First, one must learn where Middle C is on the keyboard. We have discussed in great detail the “finer points” of Gregorian interpretation … but it’s worth remembering that those “finer points” are worthless if one’s choir is struggling to sing the correct notes at tempo! When I created the following MUSICAL BOOKLET FOR THE “RORATE” MASS, I focused heavily on different approaches to the plainsong rhythm. However, the most important thing is to rehearse the plainsong and make it sound as good as you can with your singers:

*  PDF Download • RORATE BOOKLET (39 pages)
—Musical Booklet for the Saturday “Rorate Mass” • Extraordinary Form.

Esoteric “Ictus” • Justly or unjustly, Dom Mocquereau’s ictus has garnered a reputation for being impossible to understand. I’ve encountered many directors who claim to know what it’s all about—but when someone tries to describe it, they say: “That’s wrong.” One could be forgiven for believing only the illuminati can know the true meaning of the ictus. Dom Gajard’s famous saying (“the ictus is more in the mind than in the voice”) didn’t help matters. Monsignor Francis P. Schmitt hated Dom Mocquereau’s rhythmic theories. In 1977, he wrote derisively:

The ictus, an accent which miraculously was not an accent, must be binary or ternary whether one counted from the beginning or the end of the phrase and regardless of what syllable it might or might not hit. Dr. Eugene Selhorst of Eastman used to characterize the ictus as “the little man who wasn’t there.” And Terence Gahagan, a onetime wag about Westminster during the days of Richard Terry, would ask: “How can you ‘uplift’ an accented syllable when you are singing it, as suggested by Solesmes? Do you rise on tiptoe, raise your eyebrows, and swing an arm upwards?”

Dom Pierre Combe described 1 the matter as follows:

For Dom Mocquereau, Gregorian rhythm is no longer the rhythm of speech, but musical rhythm, depending more on the melody than on the text. In this sense, he was fully aware that he was in line with his predecessors, whose teachings he was merely perfecting. For him, rhythm was still free, not subject to measures, combining at will binary and ternary elements; yet the rhythm is also precise, because it is made up of precise values, as are the elementary rhythms and compound rhythms. Rhythm, according to Dom Mocquereau, is also emancipated from intensity, and rhythmic footfalls often come to rest on the soft final syllables of words with the light and lively Latin tonic accent.

Poor Spokesmen • In spite of what some claim about my opinions, I actually feel that Dom Mocquereau’s theories about “putting the musical line first” make a lot of sense. At the same time, I believe some of Dom Mocquereau’s disciples do his system great harm. The following explanation of the ictus comes from a musical book published by the SOCIETY OF SAINT PIUS X (“SSPX”):

In my humble opinion, this ‘explanation’ by the SSPX book is sheer gobbledygook.

1 This article includes excerpts from: HISTOIRE DE LA RESTAURATION DU CHANT GRÉGORIEN D’APRES DES DOCUMENTS INEDITES: SOLESMES ET L’EDITION VATICANE published in 1969 by Dom Pierre Combe of Solesmes Abbey. The Catholic University Press published an English edition in 2003, translated by Dr. Theodore Marier and finished by a former student of his (since Dr. Marier had died before the work could be completed). Someone very close to Dr. Marier told me that he found the work of translation tedious, and would exclaim: “Well, I guess I’d better go subtract a few years off Purgatory by translating Combe!” The 2003 version is called: “The Restoration of Gregorian Chant: Solesmes and the Vatican Edition.” Broadly speaking, the 1969 book by Dom Combe is a collection of journal articles. Many of the Italian sections in the 2003 version were translated by Monsignor Robert Skeris.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Monsignor Francis P Schmitt, Rorate Mass, Rorate Mass Booklet, SSPX Last Updated: December 15, 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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
    Do you direct a choir consisting of women or children only? (Some call this a “treble” choir.) Download a two-voice arrangement of Creator of the Starry Height set to the tune of IOANNES by clicking here and then scrolling to the bottom. In our times, this hymn is normally used during ADVENT, and the Latin title is: Cónditor alme síderum. It’s important to say “cónditor”—placing the accent on the antepenult—because ‘condítor’ in Latin means “one who embalms the dead.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short 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 latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR 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 Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And 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

Random Quote

“If we continue to tolerate sad examples of liturgical abnormalities, experimentation, abuse, and simply poor-quality liturgies, why should we single out those connected to the ancient rites of the Church for special vigilance? It just doesn’t seem right.”

— An Example of a response (sent to Pope Francis) Re: the TLM

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