Views from the Choir Loft

Guest Article by Dr. Kurt Poterack

Guest Author · January 13, 2024

EXT FALL at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, courtesy of the Saint Cecilia Choral Program, there will be two voice scholarships available: one for a woman (soprano or alto); and for a man (tenor or bass). This one-year scholarship for a woman will consist of $4,500 in tuition reduction and free voice lessons throughout the year. The one-year scholarship for a man will consist of $4,500 in tuition reduction and free voice lessons for the year. Specifics can be found at the bottom of this URL link. The recipient is expected to attend sectional and full rehearsals throughout the year, sing at the Sunday Mass, the First Friday Holy Hour, help out at weekday Masses, and perform other duties that will be discussed at the interview. Students will need to submit an audition video of one piece no later than 1 February 2024 and, if selected, will come to campus as a finalist to audition in person on Saturday, 16 March 2024.

Organ Scholarships at Christendom College • Starting next fall, there will be one main scholarship offered as a part of the Pope Benedict XVI Organ Scholarship Program. There will also be lesser scholarships available.  Specifics can be found at the bottom of this URL link. Students will need to submit an audition video of one piece no later than 1 February 2024 and, if selected, will come to campus as a finalist to audition in person on Saturday, 16 March 2024.

Further Information • Those with questions are encouraged to reach out to Dr. Kurt Poterack of Christendom College via email.

We hope you enjoyed this guest article by Dr. Poterack.

Photo credit: Flickr.

Dr. Kurt Poterack, who holds an M.M. and a Ph.D. in Music Composition from Michigan State University, has taught music at the collegiate level for thirty years, and has been involved with Catholic liturgical music for almost as long. He studied plainsong with the late Dr. Theodore Marier as well as the Ward Method at Catholic University. He has taught the Chant Practicum course at CUA and served on the Board of Directors of the DOM MOCQUEREAU FOUNDATION for the past several years.

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

Music List • (5th Sund. Ordinary Time)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for this coming Sunday, 8 February 2026, which is the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. You will probably notice it isn’t as ‘complete’ or ‘spiffy’ as usual, owing to some difficulties which took place this week.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “Communion” (5th Sunday in Ordin.)

The COMMUNION ANTIPHON for this coming Sunday, 8 February 2026—which is the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)—is truly delightful. You can download the musical score completely free of charge. This text will be familiar to altar boys, because it’s PSALM 42. The Feder Missal makes the following claim about that psalm: “A hymn of a temple musician from Jerusalem: he is an exile in a heathen land, and he longs for the holy city and his ministry in the Temple there. The Church makes his words her own.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Funeral Music “Template” • For Families

Many have requested the MUSICAL TEMPLATE for funerals we give to families at our parish. The family of the deceased is usually involved in selecting Number 12 on that sheet. This template was difficult to assemble, because the “Ordo Exsequiarum” has never been translated into English, and the assigned chants and hymns are given in different liturgical books (Lectionary, Gradual, Order of Christian Funerals, and so on). Please notify me if you spot errors or broken links. Readers will be particularly interested in some of the plainsong musical settings, which are truly haunting in their beauty.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of Febr. (2026)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. It couldn’t be easier to subscribe! Just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”

I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)

I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.

—Jeff Ostrowski