• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

We’re a 501(c)3 public charity established in 2006. We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and run no advertisements. We exist solely by the generosity of small donors.

  • Donate
  • Our Team
    • Our Editorial Policy
    • Who We Are
    • How To Contact Us
    • Sainte Marie Bulletin Articles
  • Pew Resources
    • Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal
    • Jogues Illuminated Missal
    • KYRIALE • Saint Antoine Daniel
    • Campion Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Repository • “Spanish Music”
    • Ordinary Form Feasts (Sainte-Marie)
  • MUSICAL WEBSITES
    • René Goupil Gregorian Chant
    • Noël Chabanel Psalms
    • Nova Organi Harmonia (2,279 pages)
    • Roman Missal, 3rd Edition
    • Catechism of Gregorian Rhythm
    • Father Enemond Massé Manuscripts
    • Lalemant Polyphonic
  • Miscellaneous
    • Site Map
    • Secrets of the Conscientious Choirmaster
    • “Wedding March” for lazy organists
    • Emporium Kevin Allen
    • Saint Jean de Lalande Library
    • Sacred Music Symposium 2023
    • The Eight Gregorian Modes
    • Gradual by Pothier’s Protégé
    • Seven (7) Considerations
Views from the Choir Loft

“Imagine You’re Out of Rehearsal Time but Desperately Need a Hymn for Advent…”

Corrinne May · November 19, 2024

NE OF THE FIRST JOBS I took on after graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and moving out west to Los Angeles involved teaching children at a music school. On that very first lesson, I sang them the ‘Alphabet Song’ and then sang them ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. Then I just played the melody on the piano and asked them to guess which song I was playing. Some shouted ‘Twinkle Twinkle!’ others yelled ‘Alphabet Song’. After a couple of rounds of ‘Guess which song?’ I asked them if they realized they were singing the same melody and that the only difference in those two songs was that the lyrics had changed. Their little eyes gleamed and their jaws dropped in that childlike way when kids realise that they just level-upped without any effort.1

Practical Crossover • That’s what it is like to sing with a common melody approach. This approach has helped me many times with my volunteer ensemble, the IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHOIR in Singapore. It means that we can learn one melody—with all the harmonies for SATB—and as the liturgical year continues I can use that same melody but choose a different hymn lyric to fit the liturgical season.

How This Works: “First Example”

The following hymn (‘Solemn Hymn To The Son Of God’) is in 77 77 metre and was written by Father Dominic Popplewell, FSSP. It’s an excellent hymn that can be used throughout the year:

To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.

Crisis Averted! • Now imagine you’ve run out of rehearsal time but desperately need a hymn for the upcoming 1st Sunday of Advent: a hymn that your choir can sing with familiarity and with harmonies in SATB. Voila! Check out this hymn that is perfect for Advent.

To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.

News From Michigan • I see that my colleague, Jeff Ostrowski, has started a volunteer choir at his new position in Michigan. Yesterday, he posted a ‘live’ recording with lyrics—different from either of those mentioned above—using the same ‘shared tune’ I’ve been focusing on. It’s an English translation of Die Parente Temporum, and it looks like he’s made good progress in just a few months:

To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.

How This Works: “More Examples”

Or perhaps you need a hymn to commemorate the Holy Name of Jesus. Here is one you can turn to. All you need to do is just to change its lyrics to the melody I spoke of (see above). You can cut down on rehearsal time because your choir already knows this hymn and all the harmonies that go along with it. Besides, your choir members will love being able to learn their individual voice part with the free rehearsal videos that accompany this hymn, and you can save the time that you would have taken to rehearse those voice parts. Use that extra time to read a wonderful book like ‘The Spirit of the Liturgy’ by Pope Benedict XVI. The Brébeuf Hymnal also makes it easy for me to look up countless other options for hymn melodies. If I didn’t want this particular melody for the lyrics that I chose, I can always turn to the Brébeuf metrical index. Look for 77 77 and go through many other options for other tunes: ORIENTIS PARTIBUS; LLANFAIR; CULBACH; and so forth. (If the common melody approach is new to you, it’s best to initially begin with options written out in the Brébeuf Hymnal.) Here’s one for Easter with English translation by Robert Campbell of Skerrington, the same man who translated from Latin CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM (the hymn that we first looked at #194). With all these choices, it’s often hard to know which hymn to choose. Thank goodness there’s always the next liturgical season!

Personal Note • I should probably mention that I had such fun recording the vocals for the rehearsal videos of Hymn #194. I sang Soprano and Alto for the individual rehearsal videos.

1 Speaking of the ALPHABET SONG, did you know the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal features a very special hymn wherein the author of the lyric wrote each new stanza beginning with a new alphabet? Every verse of the ABECEDARIUS by Sedulius (who lived in the 5th century) starts with a successive letter of the alphabet.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Common Hymn Melodies Last Updated: November 19, 2024

Subscribe

It greatly helps us if you subscribe to our mailing list!

* indicates required

About Corrinne May

Corrinne May is one of Singapore’s most celebrated singer-songwriters. She is also a wife and homeschooling mother.—(Read full biography).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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

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 idea that the Roman basilica is the ideal design for a Christian church building because it made it possible for the priest and the people to face one another is complete nonsense. That would have been the last thing that the early Christians had in mind.”

— Father Louis Bouyer

Recent Posts

  • Hidden Gem: Ascendit Deus (Dalitz)
  • PDF Download • Soprano Descant — “Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above”
  • “Dom Jausions had a skilled hand. His transcriptions are masterpieces of neatness & precision.”
  • Pope Leo XIV pays tribute to Palestrina
  • PDF Download • Palestrina’s “Ave Maria”

Subscribe

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2025 Corpus Christi Watershed · Isaac Jogues on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

The election of Pope Leo XIV has been exciting, and we’re filled with hope for our apostolate’s future!

But we’re under pressure to transfer our website to a “subscription model.”

We don’t want to do that. We believe our website should remain free to all.

Our president has written the following letter:

President’s Message (dated 30 May 2025)

Are you able to support us?

clock.png

Time's up