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Corpus Christi Watershed

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Credo III + Polyphonic Extension”

Jeff Ostrowski · January 17, 2024

OR MANY YEARS, I had no idea how to use the Gregorio software (a.k.a. “GABC”) to instantly create plainsong scores on the computer. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I called up a friend and paid him $150 to teach me over the telephone. I was able to learn only with assistance from a living, breathing human being. Thanks to his assistance, I can now create Gregorian Chant scores with ease. That $150 was not wasted. Some things in life (in my humble opinion) cannot be learned from books—and that’s why I recently recorded a special seminar: Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster.

Contrafactum • Nothing is hard if you know how to do it. Men who spent their entire lives tinkering with automobiles and tractors have no problem repairing cars—because they know what to do! In my seminar, I give away secrets I’ve picked up over the last 25 years (working with hundreds of singers across the United States). One technique I really “hammer” or “emphasize” or “highlight” is that of CONTRAFACTUM. I don’t see how anyone could run a choral program without it. Mozart used it. Handel used it. Bach used it. Even Father Cristóbal de Morales (d. 1553) used CONTRAFACTUM when he wrote alternate movements for his magnificent Missa Mille Regretz.

Choral Extensions • I also delve into the concept of “choral extensions” during my seminar. To give you an example, yesterday afternoon I quickly threw together—thanks to the Missa Mille Regretz by Father Cristóbal de Morales—a “polyphonic extension” using CREDO III:

*  PDF Download • “CREDO III + Polyphonic Extension”
—Using Missa Mille Regretz by Father Cristóbal de Morales.

What We Did • Several of my choir members helped me record it—so you can get a rough idea how the “choral extension” sounds:

Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #34648.

Jeff’s Sadness:

Free rehearsal tracks for each individual voice are available at that link, but most readers won’t click on it—and that makes me feel depressed. They take forever to create, but the choirmasters who utilize them testify they’re worth their weight in gold.

P.S.
Father Morales does some nifty things in that polyphonic “Et Incarnatus Est.” You can learn more if you watch the INTRODUCTION (51 minutes) which is available free of charge.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Creating Gregorian Chant GABC, GABC Gregorian Chant, Gregorio (software), Gregorio Computer Plainsong, Gregorio Fonts Plainchant, Missa Mille Regretz, Polyphonic Credo Extensions Last Updated: January 17, 2024

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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

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

And since it is becoming that holy things be administered in a holy manner, and of all things this sacrifice is the most holy, the Catholic Church, to the end that it might be worthily and reverently offered and received, instituted many centuries ago the holy canon, which is so free from error that it contains nothing that does not in the highest degree savor of a certain holiness and piety and raise up to God the minds of those who offer.

— Council of Trent (1562)

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  • “Dom Jausions had a skilled hand. His transcriptions are masterpieces of neatness & precision.”

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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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