N THE YEAR 1964,1 MONSIGNOR MARTIN B. HELLRIEGEL published “The Holy Cross Parish Hymnal.” Hellriegel had been a teenager when (in 1907) he came to the United States from Germany. He published many articles during his life, and this 1970s newspaper article explains some of his work. Although part of the “liturgical movement” in the early years, people who knew Monsignor Hellriegel say he eventually saw that movement was being taken over by a faction with very different views of the Mass and—as a result—dissociated himself from it.2 A reader kindly sent us the 1964 organ accompaniment (102 pages) to Monsignor Hellriegel’s parish hymnal:
* (102 pages) • MSGR. HELLRIEGEL’S HYMNAL (Organ Accomp.)
—“Accompaniment for Our Parish Hymnal” (Jubilee Year, 1964)
—Compiled by Marie Kremer & Martin B. Hellriegel
—HOLY CROSS PARISH in Saint Louis, Missouri
Notice the title’s symmetry:
Monsignor Martin Hellriegel’s Hymnal.
In this article, I’ll refer to it as “MMHH.”
🍁 Similarities to Brébeuf 🍁
NTIL A FEW days ago, I’d never seen this hymnal by Monsignor Hellriegel. I was particularly struck by its similarities to the Father Brébeuf Hymnal. Many of its texts and tunes are identical. Sometimes, Monsignor Hellriegel changed the original lyrics to better fit the music. Consider this text (which the Brébeuf Hymnal pairs with THAXTED). Monsignor Hellriegel changes the word “heavenly” to “mighty,” as you can see. On the other hand, sometimes people who came later modified Monsignor Hellriegel’s original lyrics. For example, the original lyrics for Monsignor Hellriegel’s famous hymn (To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King) used “Commander.” Later editors changed that word to “Redeemer”—as we’ve explained in the past—which isn’t even close to what the original Latin says. Perhaps they feared that congregations would find “commander” a peculiar way to think about JESUS CHRIST.3
Similar Content • From what I can tell, the MMHH contains no hymns of great significance not included in the Brébeuf Hymnal. For instance, the MMHH contains a nice hymn called “COELITES PLAUDANT”—whereas the Brébeuf Hymnal does not—but that’s a hymn for Lauds on the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel (celebrated on 29 September). The Brébeuf editors didn’t believe many congregations would have a High Mass on 29 September—although if an individual parish happens to be named in honor of a particular saint, a High Mass might take place on the feast-day. However, it would be easy enough for such a parish to make copies of ‘unique’ hymns for that specific saint. (Perhaps someone who knew him could indicate whether Monsignor Hellriegel had a special devotion to Saint Michael the Archangel.) I marked some of the hymns shared between Brébeuf and MMHH, but it would take forever to mark them all. For instance, “Hymn 29” in the MMHH is actually a melody called “Gott Sei Dank” in the Brébeuf Hymnal, but I didn’t have time to indicate that. There are just too many similarities!
Example (1 of 3) • Speaking of “not having time to mark them all,” I was certain Monsignor Hellriegel included a popular German melody which is called by various names: ALTONA, VOM HIMMEL HOCH, ERFURT, and so on. According to a Brébeuf footnote, this melody has been set by such composers as Hassler, Gesius, Praetorius, and Bach. I would have bet money this tune was included in the MMHH, but now I can’t locate it. (Perhaps a neighborly reader can assist my incompetence.) In any event, my volunteer choir recently sang ALTONA with a text that’s traditionally assigned to the VIGIL OF THE EPIPHANY. If you don’t believe me, click here.
Our ‘live’ recording offers readers an opportunity to compare SATB (unaccompanied) with pipe organ + voices. I hope you’ll listen and email me vis-à-vis which you prefer:
Example (2 of 3) • Monsignor Martin B. Hellriegel did excellent work when we consider how long ago he was born. On the other hand, he lacked access to resources the Brébeuf editors sought and procured. The MMHH would have been greatly enriched if Monsignor Hellriegel had utilized Catholic translators found in the Brébeuf Hymnal, such as: Monsignor Ronald Knox; Father John Fitzpatrick; Father John Wallace; Archbishop Edward Bagshawe; Father Frederick Husenbeth; Monsignor Hugh Henry; Saint Thomas More, Saint Philip Howard, Saint Robert Southwell; Father Dominic Popplewell; Father Gerard Hopkins; Judge Daniel Donahoe; Cardinal Newman; Father Thomas Potter; and so forth.
Using that same tune (ALTONA), the Brébeuf Hymnal pairs quite an elegant Epiphany text:
In a moment, I’ll speak of the female singers in my parish choir. If you want to see a picture of them, here you go:
Example (3 of 3) • I believe Monsignor Martin B. Hellriegel must have had good musical training. In the MMHH, he selected melodies within the congregation’s capabilities. Yesterday at Mass, I asked my female singers to do something they don’t like to do. I had them sing a hymn they’d never heard before. We were supposed to go over it before Mass but ran out of time. I think they did very well:
🍁 Analyzing Hellriegel’s Hymnal 🍁
ROADLY SPEAKING, the MMHH harmonizations for metrical hymns are excellent, whereas the harmonizations for its copious Gregorian hymns are unsatisfactory. One can easily spot the Gregorian hymns since they’re in Latin. Only the first verse is provided, at least in the organ accompaniment (which is all I currently possess). I’d be keen to obtain the MMHH pew edition. Perhaps one of our readers owns a copy. In the pew edition, how did Monsignor Hellriegel present the CARMEN GREGORIANUM hymns? Did he print English translations alongside the Latin? If so, were they “metrical” (rhyming) or literal? The Brébeuf Hymnal provides the best of both worlds, inasmuch as it supplies the full Latin—including correct accent marks—with a line-by-line literal translation into English, followed by at least one rhyming (“singable”) version. Indeed, no metrical translation can do full justice to the original Latin, so the Brébeuf Hymnal often provides more than one.
Plainsong Accompaniments (1 of 2) • The book doesn’t say whether the CARMEN GREGORIANUM accompaniments were written by Monsignor Hellriegel or Marie Kremer, his organist. These harmonizations tend to be extremely dissonant, although the ‘chords’ are rather sparse. It’s incorrect to believe that “fewer chords makes less dissonance”—the opposite is actually true—yet many still embrace that myth. The MMHH harmonizations also employ open (“hollow”) chords in a careless way. Below is an example:
Plainsong Accompaniments (2 of 2) • Father Valentine Young had a maxim he’d repeat frequently: De gustibus non est disputandum. That means: “When it comes to taste, let there be no dispute.” Therefore, it doesn’t seem like a good use of time for me to continue to fulminate against the Gregorian harmonies in the MMHH. For myself, I prefer the Belgian school of plainsong accompaniment, which is completely modal with a careful (almost fanatical) control of dissonance. For an example of the Belgian school you can listen to my harmonization of Corde Natus Ex Parentis (translated into English).
Jeff, Your Point Is? • When I discuss hymnals or books of plainsong, the goal is help Catholic musicians of good will. Hardly a day passes when somebody doesn’t say to me: “You should put Corpus Christi Watershed behind a paywall and force its users to pay for what you offer.” I hope we never have to do that. Our mission has always been to “bequeath” or “vouchsafe” or “pass along” to others what we’ve been given. So, please take what I’m about to discuss (viz. bass lines that are too low) in that same spirit. I said above that the metrical harmonizations in the MMHH are superb, but that doesn’t mean they’re beyond reproach. For example, notice how Monsignor Hellriegel writes a low C# for the basses in the following hymn harmonization. That’s an outrageously low note which will sound terrible and be barely audible:
Reprehensible Range • Monsignor Hellriegel is hardly alone when it comes to tessitura errors. Indeed, many hymnals seem to have been edited by individuals who have never stood in front of a choir in real life. Were I so inclined, I could cite countless examples from books which appeared over the last 10 years. Instead, let’s consider an example from a hymnal edited by Terry L. Haws which bears a a 1974 IMPRIMATUR by Most Rev’d Thomas Connolly, Archbishop of Seattle. Specifically, look at Hymn #138, wherein Mr. Haws has the tenors enter on a high F-Natural. He also has the sopranos floating around a high F-Natural, and even doing filigree! He had absolutely no shame, and (for the record) he also bowdlerized the lyrics. I must say, the “corrections” Terry L. Haws made to the harmonies in his 1974 hymn book are beyond reprehensible. For instance, how many part-writing errors can you find in Hymn #137 as ‘corrected’ by Terry L. Haws? I suspect there are more than thirty, including shocking retrogression and triple (!) parallel octaves!
Similar But Different • If you look at MMHH hymn #103, you’ll notice that it’s similar—but not identical—to a tune called ELLACOMBE. The same is true of MMHH hymn #225, known in America as “Now Thank We All Our God.” You will notice that the version in Monsignor Hellriegel’s book is similar—but not identical—to a melody called NUN DANKET. This is not a matter of right or wrong: hymn tunes are often sung differently in different localities through the ages.
He Earned A Place! • As I’ve already indicated several times, Monsignor Martin B. Hellriegel did an admirable job compiling this hymnal. Remember, it’s not what is put in a hymnal that makes it great; it’s what’s left out. The same is true about composers. The best composer is one who uses his eraser frequently. I believe the MMHH deserves to be ranked as one of the best Catholic hymnals of the last 100 years, along with:
(1) the New Westminster Hymnal (1939);
(2) Dr. Theodore Marier’s Hymnal (1983);
(3) the New Saint Basil Hymnal (1958);
(4) the London Oratory Hymnal (1998); and
(5) the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (2018).
Soloists Vs. Choral Sound • Almost instantly I can tell whether the editor of a hymnal has ever stood in front of a choir in real life. Generally speaking, a hymnal should eschew anything extremely difficult. That’s called: “Setting your people up for success.” I’ve heard a quartet of soloists attempt to sing hymns in SATB harmony, but it’s never the same as hearing a full choir. Placing “one-voice-on-each-part” creates an ensemble of soloists—which isn’t the same as a full choir because it lacks the richness. Our volunteer choir recently attempted to sing “Songs Of Thankfulness And Praise” to the melody of ST GEORGE (whereas Monsignor Hellriegel paired that text with SALZBURG, not ST GEORGE). Believe it or not, ST GEORGE is quite difficult to sing—but I feel these volunteers made a valiant effort. See whether you agree:
1 That is, sixty years ago.
2 This situation is reminiscent of FATHER LOUIS BOUYER, a close friend of Pope Saint Paul VI, who—with assistance from Dom Bernard Botte—composed EUCHARISTIC PRAYER NO. 2. Bouyer was certainly no “traditionalist,” as page 4 of his Liturgical Piety (Notre Dame Press, 1954) demonstrates, and initially pushed for liturgical reforms. When he observed the results, however, Professor Bouyer harshly condemned the reformers (formerly his disciples). He later admitted that his cadre of reformers had no chance of success since their goal was “recasting from top to bottom—and in a few months!—an entire liturgy which had required twenty centuries to develop.”
3 I suspect that certain editors—who shall not be named—don’t like to think about God as “commanding” us to do anything. In other words, they reject the “commandments” and “rules” of the Catholic Faith. They ardently hate certain parts of the Bible (such as Matthew 19:17).
