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Corpus Christi Watershed

“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • SATB “Kyrie” for Small Choirs

Jeff Ostrowski · May 20, 2024

OT INFREQUENTLY, composers send me emails saying something akin to the following: “I’ve written tons of choral music, but very few choirs want to perform it. Would you be willing to have your choir perform my music?” One composer from Great Britain told me that no choirs in England are interested in singing “serious” music—by which he meant his compositions.1 He desperately wanted to know whether American choirs such as mine would be willing to sing from his oeuvre, even offering me a “reward” (viz. a CD recording of him performing his compositions on the piano).

Problematic • I believe such emails are problematic. First of all, the music they send me is often “chordally composed.” That is, the composer has in mind a particular chord and [ab]uses the other voices to “fill in” each chord. The music of the masters is quite different. As I discuss at great length during my seminar, great composers employ numerous resplendent techniques: Ostinato, Counter-Exposition, Inversion, Augmentation, and so forth. Furthermore, the true masters of choral composition (Guerrero, Palestrina, Morales, Marenzio, Zoilo, Victoria, etc.) do something amazing: they make each line special. Each line has rhythmic variety, good melodic contours, lines that “stand up” on their own, and so forth.

Brief Kyrie • I recently created rehearsal videos for a wonderful KYRIE by Father Francisco Guerrero, a Catholic priest who studied with Father Cristóbal de Morales. Freely download the PDF scores and rehearsal videos by following these links:

KYRIE “Part 1 of 3” = #33188
KYRIE “Part 2 of 3” = #33918
KYRIE “Part 3 of 3” = #34761

Here’s how section 1 of 3 sounds:

Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #33188.

Jeff Feeling Downcast • Most readers won’t follow those links. As a result, they’ll be deprived of the PDF scores. They’ll also miss out on the rehearsal videos for each individual voice, which took many hours to create. By the way, this KYRIE by Father Guerrero is from a Mass setting called Missa Puer Qui Natus Est Nobis Plus Quam Propheta Est, in honor of Saint John the Baptist.

Problematic (Cont’d) • There’s yet another reason why such emails are problematic—in my humble opinion. Composers shouldn’t spend their time begging and pleading people to perform their oeuvre. Conductors should want to perform one’s music; they should be drawn to it. Moreover, that time and energy could instead be dedicated toward the study of counterpoint or (even better) training choirs which sing for the sacred liturgy in real life. The Church desperately needs choirs. When I studied at the conservatory more than 20 years ago, a composer on the faculty was obsessed with “avant-garde” music. This elderly man didn’t realize composers like John Cage, Erik Satie, Arnold Schoenberg, Pierre Boulez, Lukas Foss, Henryk Górecki, Philip Glass, George Crumb, Elliott Carter, and Edgard Varèse were already “old news.” It never caught on; it never found an audience. Nobody listens to such music in the car! Anyhow, that composer literally went around the country paying (!) ensembles to perform his music. If you have to pay ensembles to perform your music, you’re doing something wrong as a composer.

1 For the record, I highly doubt that “no choirs in England” are interested in singing serious music!

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Missa Puer Qui Natus Est Nobis Plus Quam Propheta Est, Piecemeal Polyphony, Pieces For Small Choirs Last Updated: May 20, 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

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

In a meeting that took place on 23 July 2014, Pope Benedict told Father Josef Bisig, FSSP, that “Pope Saint John Paul II had the firm intention to personally bestow the episcopal consecration on an SSPX priest on 15 August 1988.”

— Libre entretien sur l’été 1988, Sedes Sapientiæ, issue 160, summer 2022

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