Views from the Choir Loft

Archives for October 2026

Jeff Ostrowski · October 8, 2026

“All Saints Hymn” • Containing a Polyphonic Section

A wonderful piece for choirs that have more female singers than male singers.

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Jeff Ostrowski · October 8, 2026

A Peculiar Plainsong Practice of the Anglicans

I suspect that professor would have detested my organ accompaniments to Gregorian chant!

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Jeff Ostrowski · October 5, 2026

7 Letters • “Simple Music for the Mass Propers”

“I need hardly say that there is no possible excuse for the outrageous practice of omitting the Proper of the Mass, in flat disobedience to the law.” —Father Adrian Fortescue

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Jeff Ostrowski · October 4, 2026

“The Priest in Your Breviary” • Who Was Father Joseph Connelly? (Mysterious Liturgical Scholar)

This ardent supporter of Dom Mocquereau’s method and was nicknamed “Spot” because of the many dots in the Solesmes editions.

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Jeff Ostrowski · October 2, 2026

“Holy, Holy, Holy” transposed lower

A simple setting based on a work by Canon Jules Vyverman.

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Jeff Ostrowski · October 1, 2026

Music List • (27th Sund. Ordinary Time)

Readers have expressed interest in examining my “music list” for this coming Sunday: 4 October 2026

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Jeff Ostrowski · October 1, 2026

A Mystery! — Re: the “Liber Usualis”

Even after all these years, nobody has been able to explain this.

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“Holy, Holy, Holy” transposed lower

For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we’ve been using this this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” based on a work by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the legendary LEMMENSINSTITUUT in Belgium. It seemed pitched high, so (if you turn to page 2) you’ll see that I transposed it down one whole step.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Music List • (27th Sund. Ordinary Time)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC which I created for this coming Sunday, the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. The INTROIT for this Sunday is particularly powerful. As we approach the end of the liturgical year, most of the INTROITS seem to be in Mode III or Mode IV, which are ‘haunting’ tones.

—Jeff Ostrowski

A Mystery! — Re: the “Liber Usualis”

When it comes to the Latin language, accent marks aren’t placed on 2-syllable words, because doing so would be excessive. In other words, if a Latin word has two (2) syllables, the first syllable always gets the accent—so there’s no need to mark it. Nevertheless, as the years went on, the ABBEY OF SOLESMES began placing accents on 2-syllable words throughout their publications. Yet, they made exceptions for certain words, and nobody can explain why. For example, they never put an accent on the word simul in Latin, as far as I can tell. Download this PDF file if you wish to see with your own eyes. It seems they omit the accent mark about 20% of the time, which eliminates the possibility of oversight.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Preface of Saint Joseph (added by the pope)

You can see the “Præfatio de Sancto Joseph” inserted directly into the priest’s missal.

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—Jeff Ostrowski

“Predictable Rhymes?” • A Follow Up

We received considerable correspondence regarding my article, Two Ways to Defile a Hymn. More specifically, what really raised certain people’s hackles was its follow-up article dealing with the keyboard accompaniment for the CHRIST THE KING HYMNAL. But to quote Eliza Doolittle: “Have I said anything I oughtn’t?” Please examine this PDF file and see whether you agree. Were the editors of the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL incorrect to insist upon sophisticated and clever rhymes, rather than mind-numbingly predictable rhymes?

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘Ould’ But Not Good

Dom Samuel Gregory Ould (note the spelling) was a Benedictine monk at FORT AUGUSTUS ABBEY in Scotland. As musician, organist, and composer, Dom Ould was highly regarded. Moreover, he was considered an authority on Gregorian Chant. But not everything found in an old book—or, in this case, an “Ould” book—is necessarily praiseworthy. Consider this page from Dom Ould’s hymnal. Do you see the rhymes? They offend severely by ABR (“Abuse By Reuse”) and are utterly predictable. In my recent article—Two Ways to Defile a Hymn—I addressed this topic.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Tournemire could be charming or he could bite your head off. One day I could not replace him at St. Clotilde because I had a wedding to play at another church. Tournemire played on Sunday, period—that was all. He did not play weddings and so forth. (He put all that on my back.) So I went to Tournemire’s house to tell him, “Master, I am sorry but, for once, I cannot replace you. I have another obligation to fulfill.” He said, “Get out of here!” I left for good.

— Testimony of Maurice Duruflé