• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
    • Jeff’s Mom Joins Fundraiser
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
    • Feasts Website
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “English Hymns for Three Voices” (SSA), edited by Dr. Theodore Marier—182 pages

Jeff Ostrowski · April 27, 2023

HAVE SPOKEN about how I communicate with dead composers. Today, I felt like the recipient of a “pat on the back” from Dr. Theodore Marier—one of America’s leading church musicians—who passed away on 24 February 2001. That’s because I was looking through one of his books (which I’d never seen before). It’s called CANTUS POPULI, which means “Songs for the people” in Latin. The word cantus can mean “chant” or “item which is sung” or “song.” This book has been out of print for more than a century. I was so pleased, because many of the items included by Dr. Marier were hymns I fought for while serving on the committee which produced the Brébeuf Hymnal. Here are some examples: (1) “Lift High The Cross”; (2) “Now Thank We All Our God”; (3) Numerous hymn translations by Monsignor Ronald Knox, whose works were honored and featured by the Brébeuf Hymnal; (4) Hymns by John Henry Cardinal Newman; (5) Translations by Alan McDougall; (6) An Irish melody, on page 31, which is enshrined in the Brébeuf Hymnal; (7) a setting of Sáncti Veníte, an ancient text honored greatly by the Brébeuf editors; (8) numerous Marian hymns which were also included in the Brébeuf Hymnal; (9) an English translation of Veni Redemptor Gentium, a text highly honored by the Brébeuf editors; (10) a text with VOM HIMMEL HOCH, a melody greatly exalted by the Brébeuf committee; (11) the way Dr. Marier writes out each verse of the hymn on page 107 reminds me of how the Brébeuf Hymnal notates each and every verse, making life easy for singers and organists; and so forth.

All hymn arrangements are for three (3) voices! That’s something many choir directors have been begging for!

*  PDF • “CANTUS POPULI” for SSA Voices (182 pages)
—182.4MB • Cantus Populi: A Collection of Psalms, Hymns & Chants for SSA Voices (1963).

Brief But Beneficial • Indeed, this book by Dr. Marier seems almost like an “abridged” version of the Brébeuf Hymnal, except for SSA voices. (Of course, Dr. Marier’s book is only 182 pages, whereas the Brébeuf has close to 1,000 hymns.) This collection by Dr. Marier contains tons of English plainchant settings, which I suspect were used again two decades later, in Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Canticles (reviewed by Daniel Craig here). Something which surprised and delighted me was when I saw Dr. Marier’s plainsong setting of an Advent hymn you’ll recognize!

Major Differences • There are, however, a number of differences between this book and the Brébeuf Hymnal: (A) Dr. Marier’s book only includes a small number of verses—usually two or three—whereas the Brébeuf Hymnal includes all the verses for each hymn; (B) Dr. Marier’s book, published in the early 1960s, uses lyrics that are a bit more “old-fashioned” than the Brébeuf Hymnal; (C) Dr. Marier’s book includes about sixty hymns, whereas the Brébeuf Hymnal contains about 900; (D) Dr. Marier’s book is for three voices—SSA or TTB—whereas the Brébeuf Hymnal is for four voices [SATB]. Nevertheless, when I direct choirs consisting of all women or all men, I will definitely investigate some of these fine settings by Dr. Theodore Marier!

1960s Anyone?

Early 1960s Musical Scene • As far as I can tell, this book was published in the early 1960s. What was taking place on the musical scene at that time? In short, a whole lot! Regarding the use of vernacular, the Second Vatican Council had declared: “the limits of its employment may be extended.” Nonetheless, the Council solemnly declared that “it is for the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority to decide whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used.” Indeed, the specific language ratified by Vatican II says Latin must be retained; this is not a suggestion.

The Boring Stuff • Perhaps nobody will care about this next part, but I will include it anyway. By the early 1960s, the “pure” Editio Vaticana rhythm had begun to fall away. It had been replaced by the rhythm of Dom André Mocquereau, who—broadly speaking—matched the official rhythm in the KYRIALE, but radically contradicted it in the GRADUALE and ANTIPHONALE. The NOH, produced in the 1940s by the Lemmensinstituut, adhered to the official rhythm. One of the NOH composers was Marinus de Jong. When Omer Westendorf (d. 1997) commissioned an organ accompaniment from him in 1964, Marinus de Jong departed from the official rhythm and adopted the rhythm of Dom Mocquereau. You can compare the 1940s NOH accompaniment (which follows the Editio Vaticana) with the 1960s accompaniment by Marinus de Jong, which matches the rhythmic modifications by Dom Mocquereau.

Notice how the “pure” Editio Vaticana changes chords on the tonic accent:

Notice how Dom Mocquereau’s method places the chords on the final syllable of the word (which corresponds to the French language):

I recently spoke at length about the way organ accompaniments are written to match the Dom Mocquereau rhythm. This method was particularly worrisome to Mocquereau’s confrère at Solesmes Abbey, Dom Delpech.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: CANTUS POPULI MARIER, Dom Mocquereau Ictus, Hymns Psalms and Spiritual Canticles, Marinus de Jong Composer, Marinus de Jong Theorist, Mocquereau Rhythmic Signs Last Updated: April 27, 2023

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

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).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Kids’ Choir Sings Thomas Aquinas
    Last Sunday, a children’s choir I’m teaching sang with us for the very first time at Sunday Mass. Females from our main choir sang along with them. If you’re curious to hear how they sounded, you can listen to a ‘live’ recording. That’s an English version of TANTUM ERGO by Saint Thomas Aquinas. That haunting melody is called GAUFESTRE and was employed for this 2-Voice Arrangement of a special hymn for 9 November (“Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome”) which replaces a Sunday this year.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Reminder” — Month of September (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus 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.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The Latin language, “far from being held in little regard, is certainly worthy of being vigorously defended.”

— Pope Saint Paul VI (15 August 1966)

Recent Posts

  • “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
  • Involving Women in the Communion?
  • “Toward a More Sacred Style With Pastoral Charity” • Guest Article by Dr. Myrna Keough
  • “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Kids’ Choir Sings Thomas Aquinas

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

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.