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Corpus Christi Watershed

“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Hymn for the Feast of All Saints” (Released for the First Time in History!)

Jeff Ostrowski · October 26, 2023

HE PREËMINENT SCHOLAR of the English-speaking world during the early 20th century was probably Father Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923). He earned three doctorates (!) at the same time, and this was so rare that the Emperor Franz Joseph personally awarded him a special prize. At the time of his death, Fortescue was professor of church history at Saint Edmund’s College, Ware (the oldest Catholic school in England) just north of London. A footnote in the newest edition of the SAINT EDMUND CAMPION MISSAL mentions how Monsignor Ronald Knox, Dr. Fortescue, and Fulton J. Sheen all taught at Saint Edmund’s around the same time. [More on that below.] Due to his exceptional musical talent, Fortescue had served as organist while studying at the Scots’ College in Rome. About hymnody, Father Fortescue wrote:

In nothing are English Catholics so poor as in vernacular hymns. The real badness of most of our popular hymns, endeared, unfortunately, to the people by association, surpasses anything that could otherwise be imagined. […] Whereas our liturgical hymns are the finest in the world, our popular ones are easily the worst. […] Other religious bodies take all their best hymns in translations from us. It would be a disgrace if we Catholics were the only people who did not appreciate what is our property. […] Nor shall we find a better expression of Catholic piety than these words, hallowed by centuries of Catholic use, fragrant with the memory of the saints who wrote them in that golden age when practically all Christendom was Catholic.

Released Today! • Today, we release a musical setting of an ancient hymn for the Feast of All Saints (1 November) called “Ad Honórem Salvatóris.” A marvelous English translation was sent to me on the feast day of Father Brébeuf (19 October), and I’ve included it alongside the musical notation. As far as I can tell, this is the first time a musical score has been made available for this venerable text:

*  PDF Download • Hymn for All Saints (SATB)
—“Ad Honórem Salvatóris” with English Translation by Father Seraphim.

How It Sounds • I believe the sentiments expressed are powerful. I hope you’ll meditate upon each verse. To hear how the melody sounds—including rehearsal videos for each individual voice—listen to the following. In other words, the following tune is identical to the Latin score above:

To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.

Fulton J. Sheen • As a young priest, Father Fulton J. Sheen knew and admired Monsignor Ronald Knox (d. 1957). In his autobiography, Sheen tells some fascinating stories about Knox:

*  PDF Download • Excerpt from Sheen’s Autobiography

Toward the end of his life, Fulton J. Sheen said that “anything he had ever said of significance was taken from either Knox or Chesterton.”

Random Addendum • Bishop Sheen, in his autobiography, claims he would sometimes reject deacons. That is to say, when they presented themselves for priestly ordination, as bishop of Rochester, Sheen would reject them (based upon his experiences with them and other factors). I doubt that happens these days. Because of the vocations crisis, something tells me deacons are never rejected. I’m not advocating for or against what Sheen did. On the other hand, I do know that many universities have reached a point where “you pay the money, you get the degree” regardless of qualifications—and that situation seems rather undesirable.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Ad Honorem Salvatoris SEQUENCE, Bishop Fulton J Sheen, Monsignor Ronald Knox Traditional Mass, Rev Fr Adrian Fortescue Liturgy, Saint Edmund College Ware Last Updated: October 27, 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

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“Edwin Fischer was, on the concert platform, a short, leonine, resilient figure, whose every fibre seemed to vibrate with elemental musical power.”

— Daniel Barenboim (1960)

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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