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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Alleluia Verse before Gospel” • (Mass in honor of Saint Noël Chabanel)

Jeff Ostrowski · August 29, 2023

ERHAPS READERS are familiar with a story about SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI. In those days, some priests (in spite of their vows) secretly kept concubines, with whom they committed grave sins. The disciples of Saint Francis brought to him one such priest, expecting him to castigate this heinous sinner. Instead, Saint Francis knelt down and kissed the priest’s hands. “Because it is only thanks to these hands we can receive the Blessed Sacrament.” What is the moral of this story? I suspect we’re meant to take several things away. First of all, a reverence for the SANCTISSIMUM. Secondly, a reminder that we’re all sinners—and for every one person who reflects on his own sins there are ninety-nine who focus on the sins of others. Needless to say, Saint Francis was not condoning the priest’s immorality. I suspect that readers could add several more lessons.

Scandal Sells! • Nothing captivates an audience as quickly as revealing a juicy scandal. For example, I posted recently about a shocking action by OREGON CATHOLIC PRESS (OCP) and within 24 hours it had garnered thousands (!) of downloads. Certain “Catholic” publications incessantly reveal—or perhaps I should say celebrate?—scandals. Doing so has become their raison d’être.1

Jeff’s Dilemma • Today, I release another movement of the Mass in Honor of Saint Noël Chabanel. Written for the Ordinary Form, this Mass involves your CONGREGATION, your CANTRIX, and your CHOIR. It consists of seven movements. (The other movements will be released soon. We’re putting finishing touches on the rehearsal videos.) My dilemma is deciding whether it’s worthwhile to release—each week—the transposed version of the GOSPEL ACCLAMATION. They’re already prepared, as you can see. While it wouldn’t be difficult to transpose each score and release them for free on our blog, would such an undertaking be valuable? Sometimes it’s discouraging that there’s so much interest in scandal but not that much interest in efforts to make things better. If you’d be interested in me transposing those scores, please send me an email using the address at the bottom of this page.

The Choral Extension comes at the end:

Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #39162.

To freely download the PDF score, locate #39162.

Our First Attempt • On 24 September 2023, our volunteer choir attempted to sing this ALLELUIA at the Extraordinary Form. However, as you can hear by this Mp3 file, we still have some refining to do to get it sounding the way it needs to sound!

Most Will Not • Most readers won’t download the PDF if it’s placed on another page. One must click that link and scroll down to number “39162.” That’s also where the rehearsal videos for each individual part reside. [Creating each rehearsal video requires enormous effort. If you want to make me feel good, please replay them over and over again to raise the view count!] For the record, only one person has been able to guess the composer of the polyphonic sections. I can’t reveal the name of the person who guessed correctly. However, I can disclose that he’s a full professor at Juilliard, he contributes to this blog, and he’s extremely intelligent. But I can’t reveal his name.

Stepwise Bass Line • Those who download the PDF file might notice the careful use of “stepwise bass lines.” I mention that technique so much during each annual Sacred Music Symposium, some readers might be sick of it! But below you’ll find a few more examples.

First Example • A beautiful composition by Dom Gregory Murray:

Second Example • A somewhat bizarre (yet captivating) harmonization of the DIES IRAE by Monsignor Leo P. Manzetti (1867-1942):

Third Example • A tune called “Mit Freuden Zart,” taken from #842 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal:

Addendum • Some believe the MASS ORDINARY now includes the Alleluia before the Gospel as well as the Our Father, since those have been sung (often) at Mass for the last 60 years … whereas I have yet to attend an OF Mass which sings the Creed. Traditionally, the MASS ORDINARY was the Kyrie, Gloria, (Credo), Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. I no longer have the strength to argue about such issues. I would simply point out that some composers—in former centuries—had a different conception of what was included in the MASS ORDINARY. If memory serves, Father Guillaume de Machaut (d. 1377) and Phillipe Verdelot (d. 1535) set to polyphony the “Ite Missa Est” response.

1 Several of these publications seem blissfully ignorant of the fact that one is never supposed to “punch down.” For instance, much has been made recently about an attack on Dr. Scott Hahn, even though the attack came from a man known to be severely mentally ill.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Dom Gregory Murray, Dr Scott Hahn, MASS IN HONOR OF NOEL CHABANEL, Oregon Catholic Press Last Updated: September 26, 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

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

On 26 July 1916—during the German occupation of Belgium—a student choir led by Van Nuffel performed his setting of the psalm “Super flumina Babylonis” in Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral. The text and the musical setting very aptly expressed the depressed and rebellious mood of the population. The acclaim was enormous, and it laid the foundation for Van Nuffel’s formation of the Saint Rumbold’s choir.

— Unknown

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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.

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