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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Corde Natus Ex Parentis” w/ Modern Harmonies (4 pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · January 4, 2023

RISONERS AT ALCATRAZ were sometimes consigned to “THE HOLE,” and could remain alone (in total darkness) for nineteen days. One prisoner later recounted his method of keeping his sanity: “What I used to do is, I’d tear a button off my coveralls, flip it up in the air, then I’d turn around in circles, and I’d get down on my hands and knees to hunt for that button. When I found the button, I’d stand up and do it again.” This went on hour after hour, day after day, week after week. Why do I bring this up? Well, I certainly realize a choirmaster’s vocation can be difficult, with many obstacles to overcome. Yet, we should remember the many blessings we’ve received from God. Indeed, millions of people would gladly exchange their heavy crosses—such as extreme poverty, oppression, disabilities, and illness—for the (relatively) light crosses Jesus has placed on our shoulders. That doesn’t mean we should go looking for trouble. On the contrary, we should steal every good idea we can from excellent choirmasters. Today, I will present two ‘tricks’ I consider crucial.

Crucial Technique #1 • Needless to say, not everyone has spent years in a conservatory studying music theory. Nevertheless, one of the crucial ‘tricks’ when it comes to directing choirs is to select excellent harmonizations. Avoid harmonizations which are dull, stagnant, uninspired, repetitive, and utilize poor voice-leading. Currently, the best collection—and the most plentiful source—of hymn harmonizations is the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. The harmonies are beautiful, the voice-leading is pristine, and the vocal ranges are are comfortable.

The Spice Of Life • What is the “spice” of life? Variety is the spice of life. The Brébeuf Hymnal embraces multifarious harmonic approaches. Indeed, it even contains harmonizations for plainsong! Good harmonies often “go somewhere”—i.e. they have a structure which is interesting for the ear. Consider the following harmonization of Véni Creátor Spíritus. The SOPRANO (broadly speaking) ascends; therefore, the BASS descends in perfect stepwise motion, more than an octave:

Needless to say, the Brébeuf Hymnal did not “invent” this principle. For instance, this technique is a mainstay in the harmonizations by the LEMMENSINSTITUUT:

Failure To Explain • I was attempting to explain this to a friend of mine. She said: “Jeff, you should record these harmonies with human voices, to illustrate what you mean.” Therefore, with the help of Corrinne May, we took one of the plainsong harmonizations from the Brébeuf Hymnal and recorded it with human voices. See if you can hear the perfect descending stepwise motion in the BASS, contrasting with the ascending SOPRANO lines:

*  PDF Download • CORDE NATUS EX PARENTIS
—This was created for choirs forbidden to sing in English.

*  PDF Download • SATB score in English

M To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.

“Extension” Scores • The musical score posted above is part of the “Brébeuf Extension series.” Basically, those are private scores created for my choir—using harmonies & texts from the Brébeuf Hymnal—sung completely in Latin, not English. I have tons of them ready to be released … but I need to figure out a way to post these online. My friends (Veronica Brandt, Matthew Frederes, and James Doherty) are helping me with this, because I’m no good with computers.

Crucial Technique #2 • I promised to give away two choirmaster ‘tricks’ in this article. The second is this: Always be flexible. Prepare a PLAN B … and a PLAN C and PLAN D. For example, last Sunday we had nineteen (19) choir members missing, due to illness and holiday travel. Therefore, instead of doing a polyphonic KYRIE, I asked the choir to pull out KYRIE II from the Père Daniel Kyriale. Here’s how that sounded:

A directive issued under Pope Pius XII says: “In general it is better to do something well on a small scale than to attempt something elaborate without sufficient resources to do it properly” (De Musica Sacra, 3 September 1958, §60a). The arrangement above—Corde Natus Ex Parentis—should only be attempted by singers who have good pitch and a certain musical “sensitivity.” In my view, amateurs should not attempt it unless they are willing to invest considerable rehearsal time. PLAINSONG, on the other hand, is usually less demanding—and it’s an excellent way to get amateurs singing … and listening to each other!

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Alcatraz Island Prison, Brebeuf Extension Series, Christmas Hymns in Latin, Corde Natus Ex Parentis, Latin Christmas Carols, Medieval Christmas Hymn, Of The Father’s Love Begotten, Stepwise Motion Bass Last Updated: December 26, 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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

We cannot exaggerate our indebtedness to Dr. Julian’s “Dictionary of Hymnology,” a monumental work, without which we could not have reached the high standard of accuracy, as to both texts and authorship, which we set before us when entering upon our labours.

— Committee for “New English Hymnal” (1906)

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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.

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