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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

(Rehearsal Clips) • Sacred Music Symposium 2025

Jeff Ostrowski · June 30, 2025

O MATTER HOW MANY times one scoops water into a plastic cup from the ocean, one can never empty it. I can’t help thinking about this analogy when it comes to describing what happens at the Sacred Music Symposium. Where would I even begin? It’s a sacred music conference too colossal to describe. For example: (a) We explain how to choose repertoire; (b) We explain how to produce beautiful booklets (“order of worship”); (c) We let them conduct the whole group and give them pointers; (d) We provide lengthy booklets which explore various musical ‘themes’ in a splendid way; (e) We give them recommendations on working with volunteer choirs; (f) The lectures are memorable (and it’s not unusual for participants to weep during them); (g) etc.

As Time Passes • Over the next few months, we hope to release many audio recordings from Sacred Music Symposium 2025. On the other hand, no microphone is capable of reproducing the gorgeous and luscious sounds these 50 singers produced. Here’s a brief clip I recorded on my iPhone:

Here’s the direct URL link.

It Stands Alone • There’s just no other conference resembling this one. For example, participants were allowed to conduct the full choir at various times. Below is a brief iPhone clip of a participant randomly chosen to conduct a fabulous 6-Voice Mass by Father Cristóbal de Morales (d. 1553):

Here’s the direct URL link.

More To Come • If I can find time, I hope to share some of the poignant messages we receive from participants. Indeed, those who attended this year are already sending such messages! For instance, the following comes from a participant who earned a doctorate (“DMA”) in choral conducting:

As one might expect from someone with a terminal degree, I have attended over the years countless conventions, conferences, and colloquia dedicated to the traditional music of the Catholic Church; in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Utah, Switzerland, Rome, and so forth—but your symposium was transcendent and unsurpassable. I was pondering why this was so … and came up with two preeminent reasons. I hope you don’t mind my sharing them. First of all, many conferences are basically ‘glorified rehearsals’ wherein precious little instruction is given. The kingpin of one such conference justified that approach by saying: “We show you, here, the paradigm.” It seems like a decent strategy in theory. Nevertheless, in practice I can affirm it’s a poor one. But at your conference, you unremittingly provide tips and helpful suggestions.

At other gatherings, we sing for Masses which are usually empty (or near empty). But at your symposium, the Masses were overflowing. At your conference, we were allowing the People of God to experience this beauty. And isn’t that important? If we truly believe in the power of authentic church music, why hide it? Shouldn’t the People of God take delight in this music? I’m sure it was a bit ‘risky’ to allow us to sing at your parish Mass on Sunday, but the results were splendid. (If only you could have heard the comments after Mass; the people were flabbergasted, thrilled, and moved to their core.) This really sets your gathering apart. To use the proverbial phrase, you “put your money where your mouth is.” Again, I ask: if we truly believe this music to be attractive, powerful, sacred, and moving … why hide it?

Final Thoughts • I could not agree more! We have always made a conscious decision to share the THESAURUS MUSICAE SACRAE (the Church’s “precious treasury of sacred music”) with as many Catholics as we can. For instance, the photograph below shows the final Mass we sang during Sacred Music Symposium 2025:

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Catholic Composer Cristobal de Morales, Composer Kevin Allen, Matri Divinae Gratiae, Quam Dilecta Tabernacula Tua, Sacred Music Symposium 2025 Last Updated: July 1, 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

    17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025, which is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down.” The COMMUNION ANTIPHON—both text and melody—are particularly beautiful and exceedingly 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
    Errors in Latin: “17th Sund. Ordinary”
    The COMMUNION for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) contains several typos in the Jogues Illuminated Missal with regard to the Latin text. That particular COMMUNION ANTIPHON is extremely ancient, and the English Adaptation is utterly gorgeous. For the record, it’s normal for books to contain typos; even books by Father Fortescue and Monsignor Knox have errors. Books by Solesmes Abbey—surely among the finest ever produced—contain many printing errors. Click here to see a few examples of typos.
    —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

“You have thereby removed from the celebration of the Mass all superstitions, all greed for lucre, and all irreverence … removed its celebrations from private homes and profane places to holy and consecrated sanctuaries. You have banished from the temple of the Lord the more effeminate singing and musical compositions.”

— ‘Bishop Racozonus, speaking at the last session of the Council of Trent (1563)’

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