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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

PDF Download • “Pipe Organ Recessional” (Manuals Only) — George Frederick Handel

Jeff Ostrowski · January 22, 2025

HROUGH THE GRACE of God, I was blessed to work for 15 years with the Prefetto della Casa of the PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF SACRED MUSIC in Rome. There was one question he asked again and again and again: “What does his choir sound like?” Now … what exactly did this question mean? Well, it means a whole lot. For instance, it’s a reminder that those who spend hours on the internet criticizing other music directors almost without exception have never stood in front of a choir in real life. On the internet we find innumerable “purists” who seem to have unlimited energy to nitpick, castigate, and criticize others. Those same purists have run a parish music program “in their head” but never in real life. When you demand to hear a sample of their choirs singing last Sunday, they become enraged or make all kinds of excuses.

PDF Download • In a moment, I’ll explain why I bring this up. First, here’s a wonderful PIPE ORGAN RECESSIONAL for manuals only. Based on “Water Music” by George Frederick Handel, it was simplified by Henri Durieux:

*  PDF Download • HORNPIPE RECESSIONAL (For Manuals Only)
—Simplified arrangement for Pipe Organ courtesy of Henri Durieux.

Purity Tests • If I had 5¢ for every argument I’ve had with a “purist” organist, I could retire! Such arguments usually begin with the purist exclaiming: “Why does your organist use a simplified version of such-and-such?” I reply: “Because I can’t stand hearing wrong notes.” The purist then proceeds to tell me I’m ruining music, I’m a musical philistine, and I’m irreparably lowering standards. I reply: “Can you do better?” The purist says: “Of course I can! Let me show you.” But when he sits at the organ console to demonstrate, he fails miserably. First, he reduces the TEMPO so he can play the pedal notes. Stopping him, I insist that he plays at the correct TEMPO—but he’s unable to do that! He starts hitting wrong notes, playing “in between the cracks” on the pedals, leaving out notes, and messing up the registration. He was hoping I wouldn’t notice his sloppiness, but I have pretty good ears. Unwittingly, the “purist” has just proven my point.

Conclusion • A true organist first makes an assessment of the acoustic and the particular instrument. A true organist plays at the correct TEMPO without wrong notes. I would much rather hear a simplified version played correctly than the full version played shoddily. But online purists (who have run a parish music program “in their heads” but not in real life) will never understand this. Or am I wrong? Let me know your thoughts.

Addendum • When I studied at the CONSERVATORY, nobody “simplified” anything. To do so would be to invite ridicule (and possible expulsion). I played many Chopin etudes, suites & fugues by Bach, concerti by Beethoven, and pieces by Nikolai Medtner, Sergei Rachmaninov, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and so forth. We were forced to memorize everything: hours of music! Indeed, I had to memorize (and perform from memory) a Prokofiev Sonata wherein the Left Hand played in one key while the Right Hand played in another key. I didn’t care for that piece—but that didn’t make any difference. We learned what the professors told us to learn; period. Each semester, we had to memorize a full program of music and perform it in front of a jury. One of the pieces I had to memorize (Chopin’s Andante Spianato Et Grande Polonaise Brillante) was 40 pages long! The point is, nobody simplified anything at the CONSERVATORY. But learning concert music at a CONSERVATORY and playing before a jury is not the same as running a parish music program. There is overlap, certainly. But they aren’t the same thing.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Catholic Organ Interludes, Free Organ Preludes, George Frideric Handel, Hornpipe Handel, Organ Recessional for Manuals Only, PDF Pipe Organ Interludes, Pipe Organ Recessional Simplified, Pontifical Institute Sacred Music Rome, Prefetto della Casa, Simplified Hymn Accompaniment Last Updated: January 22, 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

    “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 following few hints on the selection of voices may be useful: (1) Reject all boys who speak roughly, or sing coarsely; (2) Choose bright, intelligent-looking boys, provided they have a good ear; they will much more readily respond to the choirmaster’s efforts than boys who possess a voice and nothing more; therefore, (3) Reject dull, sulky, or scatter-brained boys, since it is hard to say which of the three has the most demoralizing effect on his more willing companions.”

— Sir Richard Runciman Terry (1912)

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