Views from the Choir Loft

Alfred Calabrese leads choir on EWTN with Archbishop Cordileone

Matthew Frederes · March 4, 2023

Band of Voices, a professional choir led by Alfred Calabrese, will appear on EWTN on Saturday, March 11 at 11am PST.

”Miserere: A Lenten Prayer Service” is a production of The Benedict XVI Institute in San Francisco. Archbishop Cordileone will preside over this service from the beautiful Mission Dolores Basilica. To stream this live broadcast, click on the link below and register. Registration is free.

The service features the choir singing eight Latin motets, four from the Renaissance and four from living composers writing in response to the same texts. The four living composers are Daniel Knaggs, Mark Nowakowski, Jeffrey Quick, and Frank La Rocca, the Institute’s Composer in Residence. All but the LaRocca piece will be world premieres.

The texts include:

“Popule Meus” (Victoria/Knaggs)
“Timor et Tremor” (Lassus/Quick)
“Ad te levavi (Palestrina/Nowakowski)
“Miserere mei” (Lassus/La Rocca)

Archbishop Cordileone will be offering commentary which will be interspersed between the pairs of motets, creating a Lenten reflection that spans the ages and speaks to the timeless yet immediate trials and joys of our Lenten journey. The service was originally intended to take place two years ago but was postponed until now because of the pandemic.

Band of Voices is a new Dallas-based chamber choir founded by Calabrese in 2022. The 17 voices appearing in this event represent some of the finest singers in the DFW area.

Register Here for this Event!

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

About Matthew Frederes

Mr. Frederes is a software engineer, pilot, served as an organist for 31 years, and directed small parish choirs/scholas for 22 years. He and his wife have 12 children. —(Read full biography).

“Music List” • Christ the King Sunday

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 23 November 2025, which is the 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. In the 1970 Missal, this Sunday is known as: Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Universorum Regis (“Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe”). As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the magnificent feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Simplified” Keyboard Accompaniment (PDF)

I’d much rather hear an organist play a simplified version correctly than listen to wrong notes. I invite you to download this simplified organ accompaniment for hymn #729 in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal. The hymn is “O Jesus Christ, Remember.” I’m toying with the idea of creating a whole bunch of these, to help amateur organists. The last one I uploaded was downloaded more than 1,900 times in a matter of hours—so there seems to be interest in such a project. For the record, this famous text is often married to AURELIA, as it is in the Brébeuf Hymnal. The lyrics come from the pen of Father Edward Caswall (d. 1878), an Oratorian priest.

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase

Father Adrian Porter, using the cracher dans la soupe example, did a praiseworthy job explaining the difference between ‘dynamic’ and ‘formal’ translation. This is something Monsignor Ronald Knox explained time and again—yet even now certain parties feign ignorance. I suppose there will always be people who pretend the only ‘valid’ translation of Mitigásti omnem iram tuam; avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuæ… would be “You mitigated all ire of you; you have averted from your indignation’s ire.” Those who would defend such a translation suffer from an unfortunate malady. One of my professors called it “cognate on the brain.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“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