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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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President’s Corner

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Kids’ Choir Sings Thomas Aquinas
    Last Sunday, a children’s choir I’m teaching sang with us for the very first time at Sunday Mass. Females from our main choir sang along with them. If you’re curious to hear how they sounded, you can listen to a ‘live’ recording. That’s an English version of TANTUM ERGO by Saint Thomas Aquinas. That haunting melody is called GAUFESTRE and was employed for this 2-Voice Arrangement of a special hymn for 9 November (“Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome”) which replaces a Sunday this year.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Reminder” — Month of September (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Liberalism in religion is the doctrine that there is no positive truth in religion, but that one creed is as good as another… It teaches that all are to be tolerated, for all are matters of opinion. Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment and a taste; not an objective fact, not miraculous; and it is the right of each individual to make it say just what strikes his fancy. […] Men may go to Protestant Churches and to Catholic, may get good from both and belong to neither.”

— Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman (May of 1879)

Recent Posts

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  • “Toward a More Sacred Style With Pastoral Charity” • Guest Article by Dr. Myrna Keough
  • “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Kids’ Choir Sings Thomas Aquinas

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