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Views from the Choir Loft

What Corrinne Did For Us!

Jeff Ostrowski · May 29, 2024

OMETIME AROUND the year 2008, an article of mine appeared in the ADOREMUS BULLETIN, published by Ignatius Press. Afterwards, Father Valentine Young said to me in an email: “Well, at least I can say I know famous people.” This comment ‘summarized’ or ‘encapsulated’ Father Valentine in a nutshell: brief and humble, always praising the good in others. His friendly comment comes to mind whenever I think of my friend and colleague, CORRINNE MAY, who’s one of the most famous people I know. A platinum singer & songwriter, Corrinne’s performances routinely garner 97,000+ views. She’s also an exemplary Catholic and mother unafraid to share her faith in God. Indeed, Corrinne was recently chosen to lead a special organization in Singapore that seeks to lead people from immorality (by persuasion).

What Corrinne Did • Readers know I’ve joined a team of about 25 musicians currently producing a Roman Catholic hymnal in Spanish. Part of our work includes the creation of rehearsal videos. I asked Corrinne May if she’d be willing to record (in her Singaporean studio) one of the hymns, and she agreed. You might be asking: “What’s so remarkable about that?” Well, here’s the thing … She doesn’t speak Spanish. But Corrinne was willing to help nonetheless, and we’re in her debt. I believe this melody is hauntingly gorgeous:

Here’s the direct URL link.

Don’t Get It Twisted! (1 of 2) • A few days ago, our organization scanned and released the Saint Dunstan Hymnal (158 pages), which contains rare accompaniments—and several unique English translations—by Charles Winfred Douglas (d. 1944). If you look carefully at the index, you’ll notice the following:

Don’t Get It Twisted! (2 of 2) • As the pew edition of the Brébeuf Hymnal makes clear in several different places, there are two different versions of the ancient hymn “Christe Redemptor Omnium.” One is for CHRISTMAS—and its fourth verse literally speaks of our Savior’s “birthday.” The other is for the feast of ALL SAINTS. In 1632AD, Pope Urban VIII changed the name of the CHRISTMAS hymn from Christe Redemptor Omnium to “Jesu Redemptor Omnium.” Pope Urban VIII also changed the name of the ALL SAINTS hymn from Christe Redemptor Omnium to “Placare Christe Servulis”—which is the hymn Corrinne recorded for us (we spoke of it above).

More Famous People • As long as I’m listing famous Catholics I know … an excellent contemporary writer of hymns is Father Dominic Popplewell, FSSP. Some of his oeuvre have been included on the imposing website: HYMNARY.ORG. I met Father Popplewell in person when he served as a member of the faculty for the 2017 Sacred Music Symposium. Father Popplewell has translated many Gregorian hymns into English. Consider the 4th verse of Verbe, égal au Très, a hymn by Jean Racine (d. 1699) based on Consors Paterni Luminis (see below). This is sacral language, my friends! And notice Father Popplewell’s sophisticated use of internal rhymes:

4. O Father, Son and Spirit, God alone,
The Holy One, the Word, their Bond divine,
Our fervent prayer attend, whose empires own
Nor rise nor term, and self-illumined shine.

My choir (which consists 100% volunteers) sang that piece at Mass on 26 May:

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

Conclusion • They say Don Bosco had a tremendous sense of humor. Saint Thomas More was also known to be cheerful—always cracking jokes—as was Saint Antoine Daniel, SJ. Evil people are jealous and morose and bring out the worst in others. As my mother always said: “Misery loves company.” But good people like Corrinne May and Father Dominic Popplewell are cheerful, generous, and never envious.

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

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Jesu Redemptor Omnium Last Updated: May 30, 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

“Each of our sins was one more thorn in our Lord’s crown; one blow the more to His scourging.”

— Cardinal Merry Del Val (shortly before his death)

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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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