Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Sanctus” (Roman Missal, 3rd Ed.) in English, Latin, Spanish — Organ Accomp.

Jeff Ostrowski · August 2, 2024

AINT JOHN VIANNEY, as a young man, was drafted to fight with Napoleon’s army. Believe it or not, he became a fugitive (i.e. “deserter” or “draft dodger”) and for fourteen months hid in a farmhouse. When it comes to young Vianney dodging the draft, there were extenuating circumstances. To explain the full situation would take too long, but part of it had to do with the fact that he shouldn’t have been drafted in the first place since he was a seminarian. The simple fact of the matter is, the way things worked out in the real world made him a fugitive.

(1 of 2) The Sanctus • After the Second Vatican Council, a falsehood was spread claiming that it was forbidden to have the choir alone sing the SANCTUS. As a matter of fact, that was a lie. However, the way things worked out in the real world make debating the point rather a waste of time. Our situation—whether we like it or not—is that most priests believe the choral SANCTUS is prohibited. There’s little anyone can do to fix this. (If you believe differently, please let me know.)

(2 of 2) The Sanctus • When it comes to the Ordinary Form, the congregation normally joins in singing the SANCTUS. Therefore, you might want to download three PDF files I composed this morning:

* PDF Download • SANCTUS (English, Latin, & Spanish)
—Spanish score was corrected on 4 August 2024

What They Did To Us • My harmonizations are nothing special, but they help me stay organized for the various Masses at my parish. You will see that the “full scale embrace” of the vernacular (in spite of what the Second Vatican Council explicitly mandated) made the church musician’s job 100 billion times more complicated … because each composition has to be placed into each vernacular language, and currently more than 7,100 languages are spoken throughout the world.

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

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).

PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)

I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “Cantus Mariales” (192 pages)

Andrea Leal has posted an absolutely pristine scan of CANTUS MARIALES (192 pages) which can be downloaded as a PDF file. To access this treasure, navigate to the frabjous article Andrea posted Monday. The file is being offered completely free of charge. The beginning pages of the book have something not to be missed: viz. a letter from Pope Saint Pius X to Dom Pothier, in which the pope calls Abbat Pothier “a man versed above all others in the science of liturgy, and to whom the cause of Gregorian chant is greatly indebted.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Music List • (2nd Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 2nd Sunday of Lent (1 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its somber INTROIT is particularly striking—using a haunting tonality—but the COMMUNION with its fauxbourdon verses is also quite remarkable. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Extreme Unction

Those who search Google for “CCCC MS 079” will discover high resolution images of a medieval Pontificale (“Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 079”). One of the pages contains this absolutely gorgeous depiction of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”

I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)

I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.

—Jeff Ostrowski