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Views from the Choir Loft

Hymn Experiment • “Does This Work?”

Jeff Ostrowski · January 13, 2023

N AN INTERNET FORUM a few weeks ago, the editor of a Catholic hymnal was bragging about his product. In particular, the editor was bragging about SATB voice settings in his book. Please don’t ask me the person’s name; I’m not going to reveal that. One of the members asked him a straightforward question: “How are the singers supposed to sing the final verse in harmony?” [The hymnal in question was the type of book that had final verses printed at the bottom.] The editor’s response was: “Let me do some research, and I’ll get back to you.”

Cringeworthy Situation • I suppose each of us has a pet peeve. Mine is when church music products are produced (and sold) by individuals with no real-life experience. Think of it! This person was bragging about his harmonies—but he’d never seen how this stuff works in real life. To him, it was like a game, or (as my dad would say) it was “academic.” When asked the most elementary question, he was totally stumped. If memory serves, his exact words were: “Gee, I never thought about that before.” The situation was truly cringeworthy. Sadly, many who produce choral music scores have never stood in front of a choir in real life.

A Better Solution • Our choirs use the Brébeuf Hymnal because the SATB choral supplement deliberately and meticulously notates each verse in a brilliant and powerful way. It gives both conductor and organist mind-blowing freedom … and once you experience it, you’ll never look back.

Hymn Experiment • Because of this freedom, we were able to try an experiment the other day. We sang the first half of each stanza in unison, then added SATB voice parts at the halfway mark. What do you think?

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

For the sake of comparison, here’s the same hymn sung in a more “conventional” manner:

Epiphany Hymn In Latin • I’ve mentioned in the past a project I’m engaged in: viz. creating “Latin versions” for hymns in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. I’ve created many of these, but I need to find an organized way to add them to the website. These are designed for choirs forbidden to sing in English. Here’s my recent setting of Hostis Herodes Impie, by the fifth-century poet Sedulius:

*  PDF Download • Brébeuf Extension for Number 17
—Please Note: These are different harmonies than what is found in the Brébeuf Hymnal

I could write volumes and volumes about this ancient hymn. Suffice it to say that it’s very famous. (It’s a perfect fit for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.)

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Baptism of the Lord, Brebeuf Extension Series, SATB Hymn Epiphany, SATB voice parts, Sedulius Epiphany Hymn Last Updated: January 28, 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

    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
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Except the psalms or canonical Scriptures of the new and old Testaments, nothing composed poetically shall be sung in church, as the holy canons command.”

— ‘Council of Braga, 563AD’

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