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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

PDF Download • Saint Noël Chabanel Mass Setting (“Kýrie Eléison”) for the Ordinary Form

Jeff Ostrowski · August 23, 2023

WOULD BET MONEY you’ve heard elderly people say something like: “When I was growing up, I’d walk twelve miles to school in the snow…” I can assure you: I always walked to school. I never once rode in a car. And we enjoyed walking. It was quite peaceful. I was astonished to learn (when we moved to Los Angeles) that some parents send their children to high school each day in über! Do you ever take time to reflect? Do you ever look back and remember how things were growing up? Do you agree life back then was completely different? My family had four boys and one girl (the youngest). My parents refused to buy us a Nintendo, so we entered strangers’ houses (!) to watch our neighbors play Nintendo. For hours we’d sit there, hoping ardently we might get a short turn.

Kyrie Released • In a moment, I will continue this discussion. But first I want to release another movement of the Mass in Honor of Saint Noël Chabanel. Written for the Ordinary Form, this Mass involves your CONGREGATION, your CANTOR, and your CHOIR. It consists of seven movements. The other movements will most likely be released next week; we’re putting finishing touches on the rehearsal videos. I tried to make my setting as brief as possible. (Anyone who’s worked in Ordinary Form parishes will understand why.)

Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #39164.

To freely download the PDF score, locate #39164.

Discussion Cont’d • It seems unreal that as youngsters we roamed the neighborhood each day. I have a poor memory, so there’s tons I can’t remember. But I do remember the various houses we lived in, and I have specific memories of entering strangers’ homes. Life was different back then. Nobody even locked their doors at night! (If readers have similar experiences they wish to share, I’d love to hear them. You can send to the email address listed at the bottom of this page.)

Has Jeff Changed? • I think we’ve established that “times have changed.” Needless to say, human beings also change and develop with the passage of time. Consider the polyphonic ending to the Kýrie Eléison posted above. Would I even appreciate such a music as a youngster? Would I say to myself: “Oh, what a wonderful use of canon!” Would I exclaim: “Such a clever juxtaposition of long notes against fast-moving stepwise patterns.” Would I get excited over the way each voice enters yet carefully makes room for others to enter? Would I cherish the fact that no matter how many times one listens to that short polyphonic section, there’s always something new to listen for?

An Ever-Widening Vista • My friends, let’s be honest. This isn’t something my brain would have understood as a youngster. Yet, tremendous wisdom is demonstrated by the tradition of the Catholic Church. The THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE (“treasury of sacred music”) is not stagnant, lifeless, and tedious. Rather, it’s an ever-widening vista, offering something powerful and valuable to all who set foot in the church, no matter their current stage of development. Our culture insists that learning a discipline is worthless. Our culture also says hard work “victimizes.” But the tradition of the Church is different. The tradition of the Church says we don’t know everything—and it is good to study, learn, struggle, develop, and (as a consequence) grow.

Keeping Grounded • Readers will agree that American society has changed so much, it’s almost unrecognizable. However, the way to “escape the madness”—in my humble opinion—is to interact with people in real life. I love our annual Sacred Music Symposium because I come into contact with such wonderful and “grounded” people. I also love directing choirs, because the singers are fantastic people. They’re kind, generous, interesting, and unique. They keep me grounded.

The Rock’s Lesson • A “siren” in Greek mythology was a half-bird woman who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song. Many church leaders today have been lured away from the Gospel; instead they talk about “making the world a better place.” They have forgotten that our Savior said cælum et terra transíbunt (Mt 24:35). We must remember the lesson of the rock. If you visit Rome, you’ll observe stones which have been trod upon for centuries. It turns out even a hard stone will (ever so slowly) develop furrows. Now imagine the Earth as a giant stone. Ask yourself how long it would take for a tiny ant to walk around the equator until it caused furrows. We’re talking millions of years, right? And yet, even that is barely the beginning of eternity. Do we contemplate this?

Conclusion • When we begin to understand how long eternity lasts, the constant and heavy penances undertaken daily by someone like Saint John Vianney make sense. I do think there’s a “shortcut” to Heaven, however. (I base my theory off something Father Valentine Young said to me during confession.) In essence, I believe charity is something particularly pleasing to Almighty God. Therefore, let us love one another! And let us pray for the grace to forgive others’ faults for the sake of JESUS CHRIST. Et dimítte nobis débita nostra, sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris…

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Choral Extension Jeff Ostrowski, Father Noel Chabanel, MASS IN HONOR OF NOEL CHABANEL, SATB Polyphonic Extension, Thesaurus musicae sacrae Last Updated: August 23, 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

    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
    “Reminder” — Month of October (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
    “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

Quick Thoughts

    “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
    “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

“Life need not mean something. Life is something. And what is it? It is: —the present moment (the only one I really have); —my body and soul; —the task at hand; Almighty God, (source of everything) asks just one thing: that I put my body and my soul into this one moment, this one task … that I might do it as God desires it to be done.”

— Based on an article by Robert Keim

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