Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for August 2024

Veronica Brandt · August 5, 2024

Slavonic Sub Tuum: a 3 part gem of haunting beauty for your choir

An easy-peasy all-year-round Marian motet in three parts plus some reflections on typing up sheet music.

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Jeff Ostrowski · August 5, 2024

“Reader Feedback” • 5 August 2024

Mr. RPD wrote: “I write to you regarding your recent release of 483 pages of Plainsong Propers in English, composed by the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood in O’Fallon, Missouri. I attended the English School in Helsinki from 1957 to 1969. The teachers were sisters of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, from O’Fallon, […]

Jeff Ostrowski · August 4, 2024

“Something Quite Odd” • Today’s Responsorial Psalm

Including a special comparison chart which shows the NAB translation vs. the “Abbey Psalms and Canticles” translation.

Jeff Ostrowski · August 3, 2024

Music List • (18th Sund. Ordinary Time)

Tomorrow is Sunday, 4 August 2024. Some have expressed interest in seeing my “Order of Music” for tomorrow, which is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. If such a thing be appealing to you, it can be downloaded as a PDF file.

Jeff Ostrowski · August 2, 2024

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

You might want to download three PDF files I composed this morning.

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

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