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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Rare Hymnal” (1966) by Monsignor Hayburn and Others — 632 Pages!

Jeff Ostrowski · January 14, 2025

HERE’S SOMETHING an alien visiting from Mars wouldn’t understand about humans: viz. the satisfaction gained by overcoming obstacles. If something is “too easy,” we don’t appreciate it. For instance, someone who wins a million dollars in the lottery won’t feel the same satisfaction as someone who earned a million dollars through hard work. At the same time, it would be foolish (and possibly even sinful) for a church musician to spend weeks trying to produce a resource that’s already available. God does not want us to struggle so much that we become “overworked monsters” filled with resentment.

Take Advantage! • I personally believe that any serious church musician has an obligation to consider what could be gained by using the Brébeuf Hymnal. It eliminates so much stress! The time and energy saved by it can be spent elsewhere. There’s never enough time for the conscientious choirmaster—so it’s logical to take advantage of every excellent resource we can. Perhaps the most important advantage is how the Brébeuf accompaniment volumes (as well as the choral supplement books) notate each verse with musical notation.1

Affirmation • All of us appreciate “confirmation” of our beliefs. We recently scanned—and today release for the first time in history—a special hymnal out of print for sixty years. It was created by a team of editors which included Monsignor Robert F. Hayburn (who published an important book called Papal Legislation on Sacred Music in 1979). I was so pleased to notice that almost every selection was also included in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal—although the Brébeuf contains tons more hymns, since much of Hayburn’s 1966 book was devoted to reprinting the text of the Proprium Missae. I started to annotate each hymn that’s found in both Hayburn’s Hymnal and the Brébeuf Hymnal … but gave up after about sixty instances!

*  PDF Download • CATHOLIC HYMNAL & SERVICE BOOK—632 pages
—Msgr. Robert F. Hayburn; Msgr. Richard B. Curtin; Frank Campbell-Watson; Rev. Joseph R. Foley; et al.

Please note that this is a large download: 237MB.

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Contradictory • The 1960s were a confusing decade for Catholics, and many liturgical books from that period were self-contradictory. The 1966 book by Msgr. Hayburn is no exception. For example, the PREFACE brags about how many texts they tampered with, but the next paragraph says their committee decided never to tamper with any hymn texts!

1 Some people say: “I don’t need each verse written out because I’ve sung the same hymns over and over again since my youth—so I already have all the lyrics memorized.” I suppose that makes sense as far as it goes … but is that really what we’re called to do? Are we really called to repeat a handful of hymns over and over again? Isn’t it true that serious musicians never stop seeking excellent repertoire? More importantly, just because someone has a particular hymn committed to memory doesn’t mean everyone else has.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Catholic Hymnal and Service Book 1966, Frank Campbell-Watson, Monsignor Richard B Curtin, Monsignor Robert F Hayburn, Paulist Father Joseph R Foley Last Updated: January 14, 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

    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 unity of language in the liturgy is so great a treasure for the Church that no advantage could compensate for its demise.”

— Dom Anselmo Albareda (2 January 1953), Father Nicola Giampietro, page 249

Recent Posts

  • Luis Martínez Must Go!
  • Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
  • PDF Download • “Gospel Acclamation” for 29 June (Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles)
  • “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
  • Available! • Free Rehearsal Videos for Agnus Dei “Mille Regretz” after Gombert (d. 1560)

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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.

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