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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

“Saint Felix Creed” • Musical Setting for the Nicene Creed (Roman Missal, 3rd Edition)

Jeff Ostrowski · March 27, 2024

ARISHES WHICH SING the CREED in English might be interested my setting, dedicated to Saint Felix. It’s the one found in the “appendix” of the Saint Isaac Jogues Illuminated Missal, Gradual, and Lectionary. In composing this piece, I had four basic goals: (a) I wanted this setting to be interesting, so people don’t get bored after a few weeks. (b) It needed to be singable—so I kept the congregational sections in a low range, with somewhat simple melodies. (c) The congregational sections tend toward a “brighter” reciting tone, while the cantor parts hover around a “darker” reciting tone—again, in the interest of variety. (d) I treated the cadences differently each time, rather than doing the same thing a billion times, over and over.

Yesterday morning—28 March 2024—I recorded the Saint Felix Creed:

Here’s the direct URL link.

*  PDF Download • Gregorian Notation (Treble Clef)
*  PDF Download • Organ Accompaniment (2 pages)
You can download this congregational insert for the Saint Felix Creed. A special version for choir members who can’t read Gregorian notation is also available.

On 20 March 2014, my musical setting was approved for liturgical use in the United States by The Committee on Divine Worship (a standing committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops). The setting is dedicated to my brother, who is a priest.

OR QUITE a surprisingly long time, the CREED continued to be sung in Greek, not Latin. On page 270 of the Saint Isaac Jogues Illuminated Missal you will discover something utterly remarkable: a color photograph from the 11th century with the CREED in both Latin and Greek. The Latin was written on top—in orange letters—and the Greek underneath. As Dr. Peter Wagner wrote: “The scribes seldom knew Greek, so these renderings of Greek texts into Latin characters teem with mistakes of every kind.” Needless to say, singing the Nicene Creed in Latin is also a venerable and ancient tradition.

A Latin Version • If your choir sings in Latin, you might consider the following version. It’s the ancient Gregorian Chant CREDO VII, interspersed with polyphonic sections I composed (as well as astounding canonical excerpts from Father Guerrero). Below is a ‘live’ recording of our 100% volunteer choir singing this version last Sunday.

The polyphonic sections begin at marker 0:33.

Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #33782.

You’ll notice that rehearsal videos for each individual voice are available. This can save tons of rehearsal time!

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Musical Setting of the Creed, Roman Missal Third Edition Last Updated: March 28, 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

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders”—is that English idiom? “For the Nazis, and all the Germans, except they say Heil Hitler! meet not in the street, holding their lives valuable”—is that English idiom?

— Monsignor Ronald Knox

Recent Posts

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