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Views from the Choir Loft

Good Friday’s Dazzling (and Ancient) Hymn

Jeff Ostrowski · March 26, 2024

OOKING AT THE EXTREMES can be helpful, especially when it comes to the sacred liturgy. On the one hand, we have the “progressive” liturgists who said they wanted to elevate and restore the Church’s liturgy. Unfortunately, their definition of “elevate and restore” turned out to be annihilate. The fanaticism of some radical reformers sometimes had the effect of turning them stupid. Consider Father Godfrey Diekmann, one of the most radical reformers. In a letter dated 3 March 1964, Diekmann accidentally said the quiet part out loud, asking: “What young candidate for the priesthood would ever consider the monastic life if there is even a possibility of having to spend three hours a day praying or singing the Office in Latin?” The brain of Father Diekmann—a seminary professor (!)—had turned to mush because of his radicalism. Only a fool would deny that the Catholic Church has produced thousands upon thousands of monastic vocations for countless centuries. (Needless to say, all those monks sang the Divine Office in Latin for hours each day.)

The Opposite Extreme • On the other hand, we have the so-called “ultra-traditionalists” who struggle to see the forest for the trees. Such people complain bitterly that the MISSALE RECENS transfers Epiphany to a Sunday … yet, they’re too “busy” to attend Mass on 6 January! Such people spend hours bewailing the Holy Week modifications made by Pope Pius XII … but when asked to enumerate the major changes, they’re unable to do so.1 I’ll never forget a certain website run by “ultra-traditionalists” who became hysterical with joy when a certain reënactment took place. It was a celebration of the Divine Office following customs of a certain religious order. (The order itself ceased to exist 300 years ago.) You might ask: what specifically were these “ultra-traditionalists” so enraptured by? They were excited because instead of coming to the center of the sanctuary to sing certain chants, a member intoned them from where he sat in choro. (I won’t insult the intelligence of our readers by explaining why that’s nothing to get excited about.)

My Complaint • In spite of incessant lip service paid to “restoration,” I find myself wondering whether there’s ever been a time in the Church’s history when the faithful knew less about the sacred liturgy. Visit a random church on Sunday morning and ask parishioners basic questions. You’ll be astounded; but not in a good way. To give one example, the Catholic Church has a double “PANGE LINGUA” at the heart of the liturgical year, viz. HEBDOMADA MAJOR. On Holy Thursday, the Pange Lingua is that of Thomas Aquinas (13th century). On Good Friday, the Pange Lingua is that of Bishop Fortunatus (6th century). I talk about these hymns so frequently you’re probably sick of hearing about them. Suffice it to say that both versions are masterpieces every Catholic should know … yet virtually nobody does. We must work to change this trend.

The Greatest Hymn • Every year, my choir sings a different version of the PANGE LINGUA by Bishop Fortunatus. We spend a lot of time talking about this hymn: its meaning; its history; its theology; its various translations; etc. To be honest, it’s my favorite hymn. This year, we’re singing a Roman Catholic (!) English translation created in 1670AD. I spoke about the melody (“INNSBRUCK”) a few weeks ago. I wish I had time to heap praise on the translation, which is magnificent—but that will have to wait for another day. Suffice it to say: (a) the language is eloquent; (b) it’s faithful to the original Latin; (c) you can tell it was written in 1670AD, but it’s still intelligible for an ‘average’ singer; (d) it’s a real tour de force in terms of internal rhymes.

Our Attempt • The choir I conduct consists 100% of volunteer singers. We attempted this fabulous “PANGE LINGUA” last Sunday, and here’s the live recording:

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

Typo Detected • Ever since the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal was released in 2018, I knew somebody would eventually find a typo. It was only a matter of time. It turns out that for this hymn, some Brébeuf editions have “Christ does not only” whereas other printings have “He does not only” for the sixth verse. Therefore, if you sing this hymn with your choir, make sure everyone sings the same word on verse no. 6.

1 This would not be the case if they were to obtain the spectacular 3rd edition of the EDMUND CAMPION MISSAL, which painstakingly explains the differences and similarities between the 1962 Holy Week and the 1950 Holy Week.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Father Godfrey Diekmann, Godfrey Diekmann Heretic, Innsbruck Hymn Tune Last Updated: March 26, 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

    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

“If we continue to tolerate sad examples of liturgical abnormalities, experimentation, abuse, and simply poor-quality liturgies, why should we single out those connected to the ancient rites of the Church for special vigilance? It just doesn’t seem right.”

— An Example of a response (sent to Pope Francis) Re: the TLM

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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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