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“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

“My Best Advice To You” • After 18 Years At My Catholic Parish

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · October 16, 2024

ECENT POSTS HERE by Jeff Ostrowski have focused on the use of English chant in the NOVUS ORDO celebration of Mass. These are welcome, not because we want to disregard the preeminence of Gregorian chant in Latin, but because very often it is the task of the choirmaster (often the ‘new’ choirmaster) to begin the introduction of the proper texts into the Mass. As Jeff has pointed out, while the singing of the propers each and every Sunday is becoming commonplace, there are still many more parishes that are just beginning this introduction. Often, English is a way to transition from hymnody to propers, and from 1980’s style music to traditional sounding Catholic plainsong.

Start Slowly • If you’re a choirmaster looking to find the best way to incorporate the propers into your liturgies, the very best advice I can give you is to begin slowly. Don’t have the choir sing a full polyphonic Mass and all the chants in Latin on your first day on the job. Be patient, introduce one thing at a time. I’ve seen and read horror stories about musicians who can’t understand why their new parish turned against them when they threw the baby out with the bathwater and turned their world upside down. As Jeff wrote in his article published on 2 October 2024 (English Plainchant Revival):

“It’s absolutely crucial that the re-introduction of plainsong to the parish Mass on Sunday be done in a way that avoids alienating your congregation.”

(1 of 2) Inspiration • I’m now in my eighteenth year at my parish in Dallas and we’ve come a long way! But I’m still looking for ways to ‘push the envelope,’ to make the choir sound better, and to sing what the Church requires and proposes for the celebration of the Holy Mass to embody THE GOOD, THE TRUE, and THE BEAUTIFUL. To do this, I sometimes need inspiration to be able to imagine what might be possible where we are. A few years ago, I attended Mass at Westminster Cathedral in London. I absolutely love the viral, full-bodied sound of the men’s voices there, and when I heard them chant the INTROIT while in procession at the beginning of Mass, I knew I had to try that! Now, we’d been singing the INTROIT after a hymn for about eight or nine years—but rarely while in procession. And, with the full support of the pastor, we now do that once per month.1 It’s an amazing thing to hear the chant start from a distance and slowly emerge into its fullness. As one person recently told me: “It’s a very holy sound.”

(2 of 2) Inspiration • Another source of inspiration can be the work of composers who have successfully written works that are within our tradition of plainchant and polyphony and yet are meant to be accessible to both singers and congregations. The work of Kevin Allen is the prime example of this type of work, and to our readers I’m sure he needs no introduction. A few years ago, we began singing some of his 3-voice motets for SAB, especially in our early morning Masses when the choir is quite small. These pieces, with their accompanying psalm verses in Latin, inspired me to imagine yet another way.

COMMUNION PROPERS “ad libitum” in ENGLISH & LATIN:

Be Aware Of Possibilities • As Jeff recently pointed out, some musicians might, at first, get frustrated with learning a new set of chants each and every week. However, after a few years’ time, the return of these chants is “like greeting an old friend.” I think that many people are aware that the NOVUS ORDO Mass has a ton of possibilities vis-à-vis what’s allowed to be sung at certain times; the antiphon from the GRADUALE ROMANUM, the antiphon from the GRADUALE SIMPLEX, a chant from another collection, English, Latin, etc. (Please note: I don’t want this discussion to devolve into the endless arguments about the confusion or ‘creativity’ that these choices foster. It is what it is for right now.)

A Valid Option • One option that choirmasters have is the singing of the ad libitum communion propers instead of the assigned one. The GRADUALE ROMANUM provides seven (7) of these, taken from various times of the year. With this in mind, a few years ago I began to think about ways to use these texts in a useful and accessible way—and a way long enough to cover the entire Communion procession. So far, I’ve set two of these proper texts: (a) Ego sum vitis/I am the vine and Panis quem ego dedero/The bread which I will give. (I hope to finish writing the rest of these!)

Here are the various components of these pieces and how they can be used.

(A) A short, 3-voice motet in Latin of the antiphon text;

(B) An English setting of the same text for either a cantor or choir. Both sections are in the same key and the opening motive of the Latin motet is exactly the same as the English antiphon. (Like the head motive of the Byrd Masses) Even some of the harmonies of the English antiphon are heard in the Latin motet.

(C) The appropriate psalm verses composed for choir, but easily sung by a cantor.

Some ways to incorporate these pieces into the sacred liturgy:

(A) Sing only the Latin motet;

(B) Sing the Latin motet and the English verses, repeating the motet after each verse;

(C) Sing the English antiphon with congregation and the English verses;

(D) Sing the English antiphon and the English verses, then sing the motet, and end the Communion procession with the Doxology and the repeat of the English antiphon.

And anything that is in English works with either cantor or choir.

At my parish I use these settings and some other ‘responsorial-like’ settings (see the works of Andrew Motyka, for example) on a four-week seasonal rotation at our early morning Mass. After these last few years, the congregation can pretty much sing these from memory, and the words are ‘like greeting old friends.’

Below is a recording of one of the motets: Ego sum vitis.

Here’s the direct YouTube link.

For information on how
to obtain this musical score,
email: acalabrese@stritaparish.net.

1 We could probably do it every week, but I haven’t taken that plunge yet. Start Slowly!

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: October 16, 2024

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About Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Dr. Alfred Calabrese is Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have two children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

“The plea that the laity as a body do not want liturgical change, whether in rite or in language, is, I submit, quite beside the point. … (it is) not a question of what people want; it is a question of what is good for them.”

— Dom Gregory A. Murray (14 March 1964)

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