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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

From Inspiration to Implementation • “Lenten Choral Extensions” (And a Free Gift!)

William J. Fritz · February 28, 2025

Before you dive in, scroll to the
bottom for a special Lenten gift!

ELLOW CCWatershed readers, Lent is nearly upon us, a time to deeply contemplate the central mystery of our salvation. Each year, during major liturgical season, I strive to introduce or refine something in our ministry—a decade of small changes adds up! As many of our bloggers have discussed, adapting, catechizing, and shaping liturgical music requires a patient, long-term approach. There are numerous “Choral Extensions” uploaded here on the website, like this one on Creed III; and this one on the Holy, Holy, Holy; and this one on Saint Noël Chabanel. (There are others! A search “Choral Extensions” will get you there!)

Adopting His Idea • Jeff’s work sparked an idea: how could I adapt this concept for my own parish? During Lent, we use the “Jubilate Deo” Mass setting from Pope St. Paul VI’s eponymous document. This document aimed to promote the essential Gregorian chants every Catholic should know. If you haven’t read it, it’s worth exploring, as it “contains a minimum selection of sacred chants…that all the faithful should know at least some Latin Gregorian chants…” (from the introductory Letter of Jubilate Deo). Having already incorporated choral harmonizations for this setting, I decided to try something different for Lent: straightforward choral extensions.

*  PDF Download • SAMPLE SCORE (Kyrie Extension)

I’ve just uploaded practice tracks for my choir on YouTube:

Kyrie All Parts Demo

Sanctus All Parts Demo

Memorial Acclamation All Parts Demo

Agnus Dei All Parts Demo

Full Playlist for Each Part

Now, for your Lenten gift: I’m offering a 100% discount code, exclusively for CCWatershed readers. Use IJUSTCHANT on my KoFi store (be sure to click “apply discount” when checking out), where you’ll find some of my choral and liturgical organ works: https://ko-fi.com/s/a9c7c802ec

Yes, this might seem like a bit of self-promotion, but I’ve been encouraged to share my work more. This code is valid until March 9th, 2025, so don’t miss out!

I plan to publish more content on KoFi in the future, so consider following me if you’re interested. I will pray your Lenten journey be filled with peace and grace. For Lent, I am going to post once each week: the other bloggers on this website will hold me accountable, I’m sure of it! Duc in altum!

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Authentic Liturgical Renewal Reform, Choral Extensions, Jubilate Deo, Simple Steps To Improve Parish Music Last Updated: March 3, 2025

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About William J. Fritz

William J. Fritz currently serves as music director at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa, CA where he resides with his wife and three boys.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 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 Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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 free space which the new order of Mass gives to creativity it must be admitted, is often excessively enlarged. The difference between the liturgy with the new liturgical books, as it is actually practiced and celebrated in various places is often much greater than the difference between the old and new liturgies when celebrated according to the rubrics of the liturgical books.”

— Cardinal Ratzinger (1998)

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