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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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

“I Bow to Rebecca Raber Who Oversees the Music in This Chapel.” —Mike Aquilina

Jeff Ostrowski · November 4, 2024

OU MAY REMEMBER a certain phenomenon which I’ve mentioned a zillion times on this website. I’ve never been quite sure what to call it, so I refer to it as: Notice an unfamiliar word, see it within 24 hours. It has to do with the miraculous way Almighty God designed us. Our brains are always “blocking out” items which aren’t important.1 For instance, you’re probably not thinking about how your knee feels right now. But if you make a conscious decision, you can ‘point’ your brain towards your knee’s current status. The phenomenon I call learn a word, see it within 24 hours makes one realize how often the brain disregards anything not on its radar.

My Mother • My mother sent me a text message informing me that she enjoys podcasts by someone named Mike Aquilina. In my whole life, I’d never heard the name of “Mike Aquilina” … yet what do I see within the next hour?

Here’s the direct URL link.

Here’s what Mike Aquilina wrote:

“This is not the choir. These are the hundreds of random University of Mary students who show up for vespers and sing the psalms and canticles in harmony. UMary is a thing of beauty. Send your kids and grandkids here. I bow to Rebecca Raber who oversees the music in this chapel.”

That was a post on social media. And it again proves this phenomenon to be true.

We would like to hear more about Rebecca Raber!

Renewal of Challenge • In many recent articles, I’ve been recommending the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. I believe this book is indispensable for any serious Catholic choirmaster. (I certainly couldn’t run my choral program without it.) I don’t use the “P-word” word lightly, but I’m comfortable calling the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL peerless. Indeed, one of the main authors for the Church Music Association of America weblog declared (6/10/2022) that the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL “has no parallel and not even any close competitor.” For years, I’ve been searching for a qualified partner who’s willing to debate this assertion over zoom. Today—4 November 2024—I respectfully renew my challenge. Our website garners millions of hits, but so far nobody has accepted my challenge.

1 One reason people go crazy—and end up in an asylum—is because their brains are sending them too many signals. Receiving too many signals at once is not good. The human brain is supposed to “block out” anything unimportant to the situation at hand.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Catholic Hymnal Challenge, Learn a new word see it within 24 hours, Mike Aquilina, notice an unfamiliar word see it within 24 hours, Rebecca Raber Last Updated: January 27, 2025

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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

    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —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 Catholic Church holds it better for the sun and moon to drop from heaven, for the earth to fail, and for all the many millions on it to die of starvation in extremest agony, as far as temporal affliction goes, than that one soul, I will not say, should be lost, but should commit one single venial sin, should tell one willful untruth, or should steal one poor farthing without excuse.”

— Saint John Henry Newman (1865)

Recent Posts

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  • Bishop François Charrière Vs. Hannibal Bugnini

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