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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.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

“The Use of Plainsong in Heretical Worship” • (Letter by Dom Gregory Murray)

Jeff Ostrowski · June 29, 2023

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KIND READER brought to our attention an interesting letter written by Dom Andrew Gregory Murray, OSB (1905-1992). In my view, Dom Gregory was an excellent composer. Many of his organ interludes are masterpieces! (His famous People’s Mass is an aberration; it is uninspired, technically flawed, and insipid.) He served as organist and choirmaster at Downside from 1929 to 1940. Tension was caused amongst the other monks owing to the BBC constantly dragging their recording equipment to Downside to record Dom Gregory’s organ playing. In 1940, he left the Abbey to serve as a parish priest: at Ealing from 1940 to 1946; Saint Benedict’s Hindley (near Wigan) from 1948 to 1952, and Saint Benedict’s (Stratton-on-the-Fosse) from 1952 to 1987.

*  PDF Download • Letter from Dom Gregory Murray, OSB

An excerpt from his letter:

Pope Pius X described plainsong as “the chant proper to the Roman Church, the only chant which she has inherited from the ancient fathers, which she has jealously guarded for centuries in her liturgical codices, which she directly proposes to the faithful as her own.” Plainsong, then, is the exclusive property of the Catholic Church, whose official liturgical music it is. The question of its interpretation, therefore, is not, and cannot be, for me a merely musical matter, for it is not merely music but the Church’s liturgical music. Moreover, if non-Catholics wish to discuss how it should be sung, it seems to me that they do so with the primary object of receiving assistance in the singing of plainsong in their own services. I am still further persuaded of this when I find the name of an “Anglican Benedictine” printed side by side with my own name on a leaflet advertising the discussion. I am not prepared to assist non-Catholics in the musical conduct of their services, nor will I take part in a discussion which is calculated to promote the use of the official liturgical music of the Church in heretical worship. I suggest, therefore, that unless Catholic musicians especially priests, are particularly careful in questions of this kind, they may easily encourage non-Catholics in the belief that the differences between Catholics and non-Catholics are of minor importance.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Andrew Gregory Murray d 1992, Dom Gregory Murray Last Updated: June 29, 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

    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th 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 top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Little Encouragement?
    In the Gospel, our Savior tells about 10 lepers who were healed. Only one went back to give thanks. Precious few express gratitude, yet many have endless energy to complain. For that reason, I deeply appreciate receiving messages like the following, which arrived a few days ago (about the parish where I direct in Michigan): “Last Sunday, a couple I knew from Grand Rapids was at Mass at 10:00 a.m. I got a chance to talk to them after Mass. I wanted to let you know what they said about the choir. They were absolutely floored by our sound!!!!! They both said they could continuously listen to our choir and the beauty of it. They asked me: “Do you always sound like that?” And they were also very surprised at how packed the church was. They said it was nice for them to be in such a full church. I just thought you would be interested to know their thoughts about our choir.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “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
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

Random Quote

“Naturally the accompaniment of the organ is merely tolerated during the office of the dead, but in fact, in nearly every parish this toleration has become a habit.”

— Henri Potiron, 1958

Recent Posts

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  • Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
  • “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “Our Father” • Musical Setting?

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