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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

“The Very Best 42 Seconds of Gregorian Chant”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 20, 2024

ENRI GHÉON tells the story of SAINT JOHN MARY VIANNEY visiting a child who lay bedridden—one open sore from head to foot, without a moment’s rest—with no hope on this earth. “You are in great suffering, my poor child?” asked the curé, bending over him. “No,” he answered, “today I feel not yesterday’s pain, and tomorrow I shall not feel today’s.” Father Vianney pressed him: “You would very much like to be cured?” The child responded: “No; I was sinful before I fell ill; I might fall back into that. I’m safer as I am.” Vianney later declared: “Children so indwelt by the Holy Spirit put us to shame…”

Today I Feel Not Yesterday’s Pain • Some men spend their entire life seeking comfort and pleasure. But Archbishop Sheen always spoke about something he called: The Last “And Then.” Consider a conversation with a teenage boy. You ask him what he’d like to do. “I want to succeed in school.” And then? “I want to become a doctor.” And then? “Make money.” And then? “Get married.” And then? “Have children.” And then? “Be happy.” And then? “See my children grow up.” And then? “Grow old, watching my children succeed.” There comes a last and then.

Those Who Pretend • As I already said, some people spend their whole life in pursuit of comfort. Others devote hours each day to arguing with strangers on the internet. But eventually, they will die—and they’ll face their creator. As the DIES IRAE puts it so beautifully: “Líber scríptus proferétur, in quo tótum continétur, únde múndus judicétur.” At the hour of judgment, they’ll wish they hadn’t spent their life seeking pleasure. Some people pretend not to understand Fulton Sheen’s Last “And Then.” However, I personally believe everyone (deep down) understands it—whether they admit it or not.

Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds (1 of 4) • We must offer our lives to God. Each morning, before looking at your iPhone, make your daily offering. Offer up all your joys and sufferings. You can even offer up ‘mundane’ things like brushing your teeth. And we can serve God in various ways. One way is by singing holy music—and Gregorian Chant can lead you to holiness.

Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds (2 of 4) • Sometimes, the beauty and purity of CARMEN GREGORIANUM take some effort to appreciate. (The same is true of many other things in this world.) Gregorian Chant sung well is utterly mesmerizing, utterly hypnotic, and utterly peaceful. It can call to mind the purity of Almighty God. It can help us pray. I believe that singing Gregorian Chant is a holy activity. It’s amazing how certain passages can stick in one’s mind, even after decades have elapsed.

Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds (3 of 4) • I woke up this morning with a tune in my head. It comes from HOLY SATURDAY (Sabbato Sancto), and I don’t know any passage more beautiful. At the end of this article, I attempted to record that section. See if you agree it would not be wrong to label it as: Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds.

Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds (4 of 4) • In our current situation, many Catholics have never heard Gregorian Chant. Far too often, the plainsong they have heard is not sung well. Rather than singing a 20-minute TRACT or lengthy RESPONSORY, English adaptations can help “pave the way” towards an appreciation for plainsong. Below is the Entrance Chant we will sing on 1 September 2024, which is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time:

*  PDF Download • ENTRANCE CHANT (Singer’s Score)
*  PDF Download • ENTRANCE CHANT (Organ Accompaniment)

Here’s the direct URL link.

Promises Kept • As I promised, the following is my attempt to sing a wonderful passage from HOLY SATURDAY. See if you agree its 42 seconds are hauting—especially the “enim” melisma:

Here’s the direct URL link.

A translation of what I sang on that video:

Exodus 14:1 • Then Moses and the children
of Israel sang this canticle to the Lord: Let
us sing to the Lord: so great He is and so
glorious; horse and rider hurled into the sea!

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Last Updated: August 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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“If you begin by telling a man that in a word like ‘Deus’ the first syllable corresponds to the weak beat, the second to the strong beat of a modern bar, the one thing that will succeed in accomplishing is to bewilder him thoroughly.”

— Father Heinrich Bewerunge writing to Dame Laurentia

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