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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • Singers’ Wedding Booklet (28 Pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · January 21, 2025

LL OF US HAVE probably encountered priests who “ran the full gamut” (using plainsong terminology). While teaching high school in Texas, I met a very lax priest. He baptized a baby who was dead, and later gave a HOMILY justifying his actions, claiming: “That baptism was for the family not the child.” On the opposite side of the spectrum, as someone deeply involved in the TLM movement since the early 1990s, I met hundreds of TLM priests from all over the world: France, Germany, New Zealand, England, Ireland, and so forth.1 I’ve met my fair share of rigid TLM priests. For instance, one claimed publicly that anyone who failed to do “a serious and heavy penance” on every single day of Lent was guilty of mortal sin. (Perhaps he’d never read Mt 23:4.) More than twenty years ago, I provided music for the sister of a “super rigid” priest. She asked me to play music from a television show as her WEDDING PROCESSIONAL. I appealed to her brother, saying: “Father, you’ve always stressed how sacred the Mass is; do you really want me to play music from a television show?” I’ll never forget his response: “In this case, yes—because that’s what my sister wants.” I was gobsmacked.

In a moment, I’ll explain why I’m talking about laxity and rigidity. But first, let me be very clear: When it comes to WEDDINGS and FUNERALS, just because a choirmaster programs certain songs, that doesn’t mean he necessarily wants to. (See below.) Recently, in preparation for a wedding, I created a booklet for the singers. Some of you might enjoy looking it over:

*  PDF Download • BOOKLET FOR SINGERS (Wedding Mass)—28 pages

It mixes modern polyphony, accompanied plainsong, unaccompanied plainsong, Renaissance polyphony, hymnody, and so forth—all things I’ve spoken of so often in the past.

(1 of 3) Laxity Vs. Rigidity • Let’s say you’re hired to provide music for the funeral of the uncle of a lady named “Lucy.” Suppose Lucy usually hears sacro-pop (to use Father Skeris’ phrase) each Sunday where she attends Mass. In other words: music composed in a secular, undignified, off-Broadway style more suited to a toothpaste commercial than Holy Mass. How do you proceed? Let’s say you sing a bunch of music Lucy absolutely hates at her uncle’s funeral. Have you done your job?

(2 of 3) Laxity Vs. Rigidity • In my view, WEDDINGS and FUNERALS present a unique challenge to the conscientious choirmaster. We ardently desire to follow the example of Father Valentine Young (d. 2020), who each morning asked the Holy Ghost to help him follow God’s Will. Is it truly God’s Will to fill the funeral of Lucy’s uncle chock-full of music she absolutely hates? Is it likely this will help Lucy fall in love with authentic sacred music? On the other hand, is it God’s Will to allow improper music at Mass?

(3 of 3) Laxity Vs. Rigidity • I do not pretend to have the “correct answer” to all these questions. In light of the current crisis in the Catholic Church, it seems reasonable—in my humble opinion—to have some flexibility when it comes to WEDDINGS and FUNERALS. What does “flexibility” mean? Sometimes one can be creative; e.g. a song which has awful lyrics can perhaps be played (not sung) on the pipe organ as prelude music. It seems like this is something we must pray about.

(A) Rigid Rubrician • Indeed, many who brag about being “very rigid” are misinformed. For example, some priests condemn others harshly because they “don’t follow the rubrics.” Yet these same priests insist upon an extra CONFITEOR before Communion, although the 1962 rubrics couldn’t be more clear:

503. Quoties sancta Communio infra Missam distributur, celebrans, sumpto sacratissimo Sanguine, omissis confessione et absolutione, dictis tamen Ecce Agnus Dei et ter Dómine, non sum dignus, immediate ad distribtionem sanctæ Eucharistiæ procedit.

(B) Rigid Rubrician • I’ve also met priests who claim to follow “the real rubrics from before Pius XII reformed Holy Week.” I ask them: “So that means you never celebrate Mass in the afternoon or evening, right?” They reply: “No, I make an exception for that.” I then ask: “So during Holy Week, you don’t use incense unless you have Deacon and Subdeacon, right?” They reply: “No, I make an exception for that.” Then I press them further: “So when you celebrate Holy Week, you celebrate Holy Thursday Mass and the Easter Vigil in the morning, right?” They reply: “No, I make an exception for that.” Still not satisfied, I ask: “Regarding feasts 100% invented by 20th-century popes—such as the feast of Christ the King—you don’t celebrate those feasts, right?” They reply: “No, I make an exception for that.” I continue further still: “You don’t preach or distribute Holy Communion at a Solemn Requiem, right?” They reply: “No, I make an exception for that.” I ask them whether they allow vernacular hymns to be sung all throughout Low Mass—even during the readings!—as was widespread in the olden days. They reply: “That’s a traditional practice, but we don’t allow it.” I ask whether they allow the congregation to recite (at Low Mass) the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, Communion antiphon, and Pater Noster along with the priest. They reply: “I realize the rubrics explicitly allow that, but I do not.” Finally, somewhat exasperated, I demand to know whether they allow anyone (except the CELEBRANT himself) to receive Holy Communion during a High Mass—something almost never done in the old days. They reply: “No, I make an exception for that.”

(C) Rigid Rubrician • Maybe someday I will write an article pointing out 100 ways “rigid rubricians” aren’t following the rubrics. And what would be the point of such an exercise? Simply to remember that even the most rigid rubricians make exceptions constantly—although some would cut off their right arm rather than admit it. Although I could be wrong, it seems logical to allow certain ‘exceptions’ when it comes to WEDDINGS and FUNERALS—for the sake of charity. If you have a different opinion, I’d love to hear it!

(D) Rigid Rubrician • I would argue that—because God gave us a brain—there are certain times the rubrics should not be followed. For examples, the committee that reformed Holy Week in the 1950s moved the MANDATUM ceremony from where it traditionally belonged into the Mass itself. But they overlooked the fact an identical Communion antiphon (“Dóminus Jesus Postquam Cenávit”) is also used during the MANDATUM ceremony. If one follows the rubrics with rigidity, that same antiphon is sung twice in the space of a few minutes. This is clearly a mistake; but the “rigid rubrician” is only interested in what it says on paper. For the “rigid rubrician,” there’s no such thing as following the spirit of the law.

Addendum • In spite of “synodality,” the last few years have witnessed a reprehensible persecution of Catholics who have been helped in their spiritual lives by the Traditional Latin Mass. Some have attempted to justify this persecution. They claim the TLM must be eliminated because they have an issue with particular people who attend it. But this makes no sense. For one thing, there are ‘rotten eggs’ who attend the NOVUS ORDO, too—does that mean we must get rid of the NOVUS ORDO? Furthermore, one must address the issue; not some other issue. Similarly, if clerics at the Vatican have a problem with the ideology of certain people, they have an obligation to address that issue, not some other issue. What they’re doing makes as much sense as cutting off one’s elbow to “fix” a sore foot.

1 I was privileged to act as MASTER OF CEREMONIES for leaders of that movement—such as Father Arnaud Devillers and Father Josef Bisig—and I’ve frequently been in charge of music for TLM ceremonies celebrated by bishops.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Catholic Wedding Nuptial Mass Music, Commissio Piana, Latin Mass Musical Diversity, Musical Laxity Vs Rigidity, Printable Wedding Booklet Music Scores Last Updated: January 23, 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

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“There are some so restless that when they are free from labour they labour all the more, because the more leisure they have for thought, the worse interior turmoil they have to bear.”

— Pope Gregory the Great

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