Views from the Choir Loft

Andrew Leung • Article Archive

Andrew Leung graduated from the sacred music program of Franciscan University of Steubenville, majored in vocal performance. He has also studied organ, choral conducting and Gregorian chant with world-class musicians. Prior to returning to Hong Kong, he served as a parish music director in Atlanta, and later as the organist and choirmaster at the Cathedral of Macau, China. Andrew is currently the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers and music director at Our Lady of China Church. He is also an artist and vocal coach at the Paul Phoenix Academy.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Andrew Leung · August 4, 2016

St. Josemaría and the Mass

These pictures can prove St. Josemaría’s love for the Old Mass.

Andrew Leung · July 28, 2016

Free Recordings • British Boys’ Choir

Free recordings of famous British boys’ choirs on YouTube!

Andrew Leung · July 23, 2016

Saints and the “Ad Orientem” Worship

What did the saints say about celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass facing East?

Andrew Leung · July 21, 2016

Summer Sacred Music Workshop • This Weekend!

The Summer Sacred Music Workshop 2016 is finally here!

Andrew Leung · July 18, 2016

“I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice”

How can we renew the liturgy with charity? We shouldn’t seek to win arguments on the liturgy.

Andrew Leung · July 14, 2016

Three False Ideas about “Ad Orientem” Celebration

Three common misconceptions about the Mass and “ad orientem” worship.

Andrew Leung · June 23, 2016

Made in China

Gregorian Chant pew cards in Hong Kong.

Andrew Leung · June 16, 2016

A Guardian of the Sacred Tradition in the South — Part 2

Why is the Basilica community so lively and why are they growing so much?

Andrew Leung · June 10, 2016

St. Agnes in NYC Entrusted to Opus Dei

The Church of St. Agnes in Manhattan will be placed under the care of Opus Dei.

Andrew Leung · June 9, 2016

My Recent Discovery

I recently discovered some amazing Choral Works by Philip Stopford.

Andrew Leung · May 26, 2016

A Guardian of the Sacred Tradition in the South

The Basilica of Sts. Peter & Paul is a Guardian of the Sacred Tradition and a great Patron Sacred Music and Arts.

Andrew Leung · May 19, 2016

Summer Sacred Music Workshop 2016

Southeastern Sacred Music presents Summer Sacred Music Workshop 2016.

Andrew Leung · May 12, 2016

Feast of Bl. Álvaro del Portillo

Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, the successor of St. Josemaría Escrivá and Prelate of Opus Dei.

Andrew Leung · May 5, 2016

Video • Mass during WW2

Vintage video of an army chaplain celebrating Mass during World War II.

Andrew Leung · May 2, 2016

Video • Cardinal Burke on the Traditional Latin Mass

Here is what Cardinal Burke has to say about the Latin Mass.

“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

“Yahweh” in church songs?

My pastor asked me to write a weekly column for our parish bulletin. The one scheduled to run on 22 June 2025 is called “Three Words in a Psalm” and speaks of translating the TETRAGRAMMATON. You can read the article at this column repository. All of them are quite brief because I was asked to keep within a certain word limit.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Music List” • Pentecost Sunday

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for Pentecost Sunday (8 June 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. Because our choir is on break this week, the music is relatively simple.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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

When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962

There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop

—Veronica Brandt

The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum

Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.

—Daniel Tucker