Views from the Choir Loft

Andrew Motyka • Article Archive

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Andrew R. Motyka · May 8, 2013

Not-So-Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time doesn’t mean what you think it means, and even if it does, you’re probably wrong.

Andrew R. Motyka · May 1, 2013

Live for the Moment

The temporal reality of the liturgy that cannot be bound by recordings.

Andrew R. Motyka · April 24, 2013

Following the Leader

The choir director as a model for singing.

Andrew R. Motyka · April 17, 2013

Just Pick Up a Pencil and Do It.

Short and sweet regarding composing.

Andrew R. Motyka · April 10, 2013

Participating Actively despite all of that Active Participation

Isn’t this what is meant by the “active participation” that is one of the liturgical goals of the Second Vatican Council?

Andrew R. Motyka · April 3, 2013

The Choir Director as Catechist

How to feed your choir in non-musical ways.

Andrew R. Motyka · March 27, 2013

Free Communion Antiphons!

Free responsorial-style Communion antiphons for Ordinary Form Mass use.

Andrew R. Motyka · March 20, 2013

Cub Scouts, Abel, and Liturgical Music

The Cub Scout motto and how we should always render our best work to God.

Andrew R. Motyka · March 13, 2013

How Do I Get Them to Sing? Part 2 of 2

Part 2 of the congregational singing series.

Andrew R. Motyka · March 6, 2013

How Do I Get Them to Sing? Part 1 of 2

The perennial problem of congregational singing.

Andrew R. Motyka · February 27, 2013

The Church Music Director: Job or Vocation?

Is music your whole life? Should it be?

Andrew R. Motyka · February 20, 2013

Are You to Wash My Feet?

Presenting a choir piece for the Washing of Feet on Holy Thursday

Andrew R. Motyka · February 13, 2013

Lord, Have Mercy?

In which I make Prince references to describe the Ash Wednesday Kyrie.

Andrew R. Motyka · February 6, 2013

Every moment is a teachable moment

For the record, I double-checked the Missal, and learned something about the rubrics myself . . .

Andrew R. Motyka · January 30, 2013

I am not worthy

In which I forget parts of the Mass Ordinary and try to get through it anyway.

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!

A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!

—Jeff Ostrowski

“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

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