Views from the Choir Loft

Mass and Motets

Veronica Brandt · March 18, 2023

When we were starting a schola at Lawson, a retired priest gave me a copy of this little booklet, Mass and Motets for Mixed Voices, By Polyphonic Masters. This was printed by The Advocate Press, 143-151 a’Beckett Street, Melbourne, Australia. I had assumed it was an Australian compilation, but someone has found parallels with offerings by Kalmus, which I haven’t been able to confirm. Then I noticed the German notes in a few places.

It was printed before printing publishing dates was a thing, so I’m guessing it’s about 1940-ish.

In the past, I had sung from photocopies from this booklet with different choirs, without knowing the source. So many pieces are familiar, I look forward to getting to know the remainder.

Someone asked me to scan it, but if Kalmus is selling it, then maybe that’s not the best. Also, it’s quite a cramped typesetting to shoe-horn as much music as possible into 32 pages. Also, the pieces are available elsewhere on the internet, all except the Gloria from Antonio Lotti’s Missa Brevis for 4 voices in C. The booklet calls it Missa (dorisch), but Lotti’s Masses get many mixed up names in different editions.

So, here are all the pieces with links.

Missa (dorisch) – Mass and Motets includes the Gloria, but this link doesn’t.
Adoramus Te Clemens non Papa
Adoramus Te Francesco Rosselli
Ave Regina Caelorum Antonio Lotti
Ave Verum Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Cantate Domino Giuseppe Pitoni
Christus Factus Est Felice Anerio
Ecce, quomodo moritur, Jacob Handl Gallus
Hodie nobis coelorum Rex Giovanni Bernardino Nanino
In nomine Jesu Jacob Handl Gallus
Istorum est Claudio Casciolini
Jesu, dulcis memoria Tomás Luis de Victoria
O bone Jesu Marco Antonio Ingegneri
O Domine Jesu Christe Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
O Jesu Christe Rinaldo del Mel
O Redemptor Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
O vos omnes Giovanni Croce
Popule meus Tomás Luis de Victoria
Regina Caeli Antonio Lotti
Tantum Ergo Giovanni Matteo Asola
Tantum Ergo Palestrina? – printed in the English Hymnal Clearer pdf from Musescore
Veni sancte Spiritus Sethus Calvisius
Veni Creator Spiritus Claudio Casciolini

And here are some photos:

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

About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

“Music List” • 9 Nov. (Dedic. Lateran)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 9 November 2025, which is the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • Offertory (9 Nov.)

This year, the feast of 9 November replaces the Sunday. The OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF file) for 9 November is exceedingly beautiful. The ‘Laterani’ mansion at Rome was the popes’ residence for a thousand years. The church there still is the cathedral church of Rome—“Mother and Head of all churches of the City and of the World,” says the inscription over the entrance. It is dedicated to Our Holy Savior, but has long been commonly known as “St. John Lateran” owing to its famous baptistery of St. John the Baptist. In this church, the pope’s own ‘cathedra’ (episcopal chair) stands in the apse.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Job Opening • $65,000 per year +

A parish 15 minutes away from me is looking for a choir director and organist. The parish is filled with young families. When I began my career, I would have jumped at such an opportunity! Saint Patrick’s in Grand Haven has a job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year including benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” I lived in Kansas for 15 years, Texas for 10 years, and Los Angeles for 10 years. Michigan is the closest place I know to heaven!

—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