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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

J.S. Bach “Alleluia” • Director Posts Live Recording!

Jeff Ostrowski · December 19, 2022

UR READERS have probably seen the famous Solemn Mass, filmed at Our Lady of Sorrows Church (Chicago) in 1940. The narration, which is utterly sublime, was done by Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen. The video is all over the internet … a ‘Google’ search will locate it almost instantly. The music chosen for that Mass—in spite of tremendous performing forces—is a source of embarrassment for some, who say it sounds sugary and lacks depth. One commentator described it as “the very worst remnants of the Caecilian movement.” However, I believe such criticism to be a bit misguided. Let me explain why.

We Are Body & Soul • What the critics fail to take into consideration is how that music would have sounded if you were actually sitting in the pews. It’s similar to the music of Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi, which looks tedious and insipid on the page, but comes off very well in real life. After all, man is composed of both body and soul. It is wrong to completely dismiss the effects of well-crafted choral music heard in real life. On the other hand, I admit that such ‘Caecilian’ music lacks the depth of Palestrina, Victoria, or Guerrero. (And it’s not even a close call.)

Variety, Variety, Variety • I probably sound like a broken record, but I believe a key ingredient for any successful choral program is musical diversity. I would like to mention a piece that hopefully illustrates my point. We normally do a Renaissance setting of the ALLELUIA which comes before the Gospel—but lately we’ve been doing a setting by Johann Sebastian Bach (d. 1750) which the singers really love. You can freely download J.S. BACH’S ALLELUIA (PDF), arranged by Monsignor Moissenet.

Live Recording • Here’s a ‘live’ recording by our volunteer choir from last week:

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Bishop Fulton J Sheen, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Johann Sebastian Bach, Latin Mass Musical Diversity, Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi, Rene Moissenet Alleluia, SATB Alleluia Bach Last Updated: January 3, 2023

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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

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“As liturgical art, church music is obliged to conform to ecclesiastical law. But to construct artificial polarities here, between legalistic order and a dynamic church music, demanded by the alleged needs of the day, would be to forsake the foundation of a music rooted in liturgical experience. What is in fact the pastoral value of the shoddy, the profane, the third-rate?”

— Dr. Robert Skeris (1996)

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