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Views from the Choir Loft

Feast of Life • Two Thomas Aquinas Texts for SATB • GIA Publications

Richard J. Clark · April 26, 2025

RECENT RELEASE from GIA Publications, Inc., Feast of Life features another of  my collaborations with hymn writer, composer, and organist, Alan. J. Hommerding. Feast of Life sets two Aquinas texts, both translated by Hommerding into in English: O Sacrum Convivium/O Great, Sacred Feast of Life and Ecce Panis Angelorum/Bread of Angels. With degrees in theology, theory, and music, Hommerding served as Senior Editor of World Library Publications. In 2019 he was awarded “Distinguished Catholic Music Composer of the Year” by the Association of Catholic Publishers.

** Feast of Life,  is available in print or PDF download here.

In the publication, Hommerding writes of his treatment of O Sacrum Convivium • O Great, Sacred Feast of Life: “…[T]he past (Christ’s Passion), present (our eucharistic celebration), and future (the heavenly banquet) dimensions of the sacrament are concisely presented. This translation is one I refer to as a ‘singing’ translation, in that its preservation of the syllable count/stress of the Latin text is an essential consideration, along with conveying the meaning of the text.”

Listen here to a recording conducted by Dr. Alfred Calabrese and sung by the Saint Rita Choir, Dallas Texas. (This was recorded during rehearsal. The St Rita Choir wears robes at Mass.)

 

Ecce Panis Angelorum • Bread of Angels: Of this text Hommerding writes: “Like many of the lengthier eucharistic texts of St. Thomas Aquinas, this one is a shorter excerpt from his Lauda, Sion Salvatorem, currently used as the Sequence on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ…The words guide us to our “forever feasting,” when we will share this heavenly bread with the angels.

Listen here to a recording performed by the Boston Cathedral Singers, Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston

 

HERE IS another Hommerding / Clark collaboration, a concertato on Lift High the Cross, (also available with GIA here) Hommerding wrote two sets of verses for Triduum and Discipleship while retaining the original refrain by George W. Kitchin. This video s courtesy of The Catholic TV Network from the Chrism Mass (2024) at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston.

 

FINALLY, ENJOY THIS FREE download of Communion Antiphons for Ordinary Time  • 238 pages!

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: April 26, 2025

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(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

Re: Low Mass: “It is desirable that in read Masses on Sundays and feast-days, the Gospel and Epistle be read by a lector in the vernacular for the convenience of the faithful.”

— 1958 document, issued under Pope Pius XII

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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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