Views from the Choir Loft

Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Read more.

“Proper Of The Mass” (Ignatius Press) • Part 1 of 7

Andrew R. Motyka · April 15, 2015 ·

Fr. Samuel Weber is undoubtedly one of the modern masters of setting English chant.

Garbage in, Garbage out

Andrew R. Motyka · March 18, 2015 ·

“Lex orandi, lex credendi” works both ways.

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(5 of 7)

Andrew R. Motyka · February 24, 2015 ·

The practical end of formal approval.

Truth, Beauty, and Pop Culture, Part 1

Andrew R. Motyka · February 3, 2015 ·

In which I take unpopular stances about popular things.

The American Idolization of Liturgy

Andrew R. Motyka · January 7, 2015 ·

Sometimes I wish people didn’t have so many opinions about the liturgy.

Only the Dawn

Andrew R. Motyka · December 24, 2014 ·

Beginning with Christmas, we celebrate a new era…

Holy Days of Obligation: Immaculate Conception

Andrew R. Motyka · December 3, 2014 ·

A few questions about obligation to attend Mass on the Immaculate Conception.

Eyes on Your Own Paper

Andrew R. Motyka · November 12, 2014 ·

The importance of focusing on our own work.

Prepared to Receive: the Importance of Disposition

Andrew R. Motyka · November 5, 2014 ·

Warm-ups and reverent liturgy.

Weddings: Some Practical Advice – The End and the New Beginning

Andrew R. Motyka · October 15, 2014 ·

The rest of the Wedding liturgy, and some miscellaneous advice.

Could Pope St. Pius X Sing?

“On 12 March 1908, the complete publication of the Roman Gradual was issued by the Vatican Press. On that very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. A witness of the audience says that Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement pro aliquibus locis—it was the Introit of the new Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.” (Catholic Choirmaster, February 1915)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Julius Bas Accompaniment

A very prolific harmonizer of Gregorian chant in the early 20th century was Mr. Julius Bas. He often uses a very strange technique, wherein he employs rests to eliminate the Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Consider what he did with “Lumen ad revelationem” here:

* JPEG • Lumen ad revelationem

It seems quite lazy, and I’ve never seen anyone else use such a technique, although Dr. Peter Wagner often switched to parallel octaves when he ran out of ideas… (Yuck!)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Hitting wrong notes

Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, used to say: “The organist can play 1,000 correct notes and one wrong note—and the only thing people will care about is the wrong note.” Last Sunday I hit some wrong notes, and felt bad. Then I remembered a story about Rudolf Serkin and started to chuckle. Charles Rosen (or was it Leon Fleisher?) told the story of Serkin playing a Beethoven Sonata in front of a large audience. The theme is all in octaves; but Serkin hit some wrong notes, and played parallel 7ths instead. This so unnerved him that every time the theme returned, he played the entire thing in parallel 7ths! We must remember that even the greatest hit wrong notes. Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Sviatoslav Richter, Egon Petri—they all hit wrong notes, which we can hear on recordings. (Josef Hofmann was an exception, but he was super-human so he doesn’t count!)

—Jeff Ostrowski