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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

Dr. Charles Weaver • Article Archive

Dr. Charles Weaver is on the faculty of the Juilliard School, and serves as organist and director of music at St. Mary’s Church in Norwalk, Connecticut. His research interests include the history of music theory and the theory of plainchant rhythm. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and four children.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Dr. Charles Weaver · February 19, 2026

The Weekday Communions of Lent

The Communion antiphons of the weekdays of Lent offer us an ancient sequence to unify the season.

Dr. Charles Weaver · October 8, 2025

The Real Miracle of Gregorian Chant

It may not have been dictated into a saintly pope’s ear by a dove, but the real story is no less wonderful.

Dr. Charles Weaver · March 5, 2025

Solmization from the Inside, Part 3

Making the case for the (very) old method of solfège, or, what is so sharp about sharp notes?

Dr. Charles Weaver · January 23, 2025

My Recent Conversation • “Chant Rhythm”

This past week, I appeared on the Nikhil Hogan show to talk about Gregorian rhythm and the Vatican edition.

Dr. Charles Weaver · December 29, 2024

God’s in His Holy Place, but in which Mode?

Ideas have consequences.

Dr. Charles Weaver · December 13, 2024

Church Keys Old and New

Musical scholars are divided on whether the modes are a useful way to think about music, but I’m convinced they are. In the seventeenth century, musicians created a fruitful and lasting link between the eight modes and eight particular keys called the church keys.

Dr. Charles Weaver · October 2, 2024

Glancing at Eurydice: Why Read Medieval Theory?

Sometimes the ancients just perfectly capture the essence of some experience that we all share.

Dr. Charles Weaver · September 25, 2024

A Talk on the Importance of Chant

Back in January I gave a talk at Sacred Heart Parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have a fantastic lecture series, and this was also in connection with their admirable project on the fifth centennial of Palestrina’s birth. The talk is now available on Spotify, and I hope it will be of some interest to […]

Dr. Charles Weaver · July 4, 2024

PDF Download • How to Sing Gregorian Chant Like Dom Pothier

Dom Lucien David gives a practical lesson in applying the method of Dom Pothier to a chant from the Kyriale.

Dr. Charles Weaver · May 4, 2024

A Couple of Recent Podcast Appearances

I’ve participated in some recent conversations about chant that might be of interest to our readers.

Dr. Charles Weaver · March 16, 2024

Response to Jeff: Rhythmic Signs Again

I propose that we consider Dom Pothier’s method without making an unnecessary appeal to authority.

Dr. Charles Weaver · February 5, 2024

What is the Place of the Horizontal Episema in Dom Mocquereau’s Theory?

It really is a minor part of Mocquereau’s theoretical enterprise. That doesn’t mean it’s completely pointless, though.

Dr. Charles Weaver · December 8, 2023

An Important Anniversary

Dom Pothier died 100 years ago today.

Dr. Charles Weaver · November 25, 2023

Accent and Gregorian Melody

The idea of the tonic accent in Gregorian melody runs through the entire Solesmes tradition from Gontier to Pothier to Mocquereau to the present.

Dr. Charles Weaver · November 22, 2023

Bearing Witness

We Church musicians have a high calling to bear witness to the truth with our music and our lives.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 4th Sunday of Lent (15 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has sublime propers. It is most often referred to as “Lætare Sunday” owing to its INTROIT. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)
    The COMMUNION ANTIPHON for this coming Sunday, which is the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A), is particularly beautiful. There’s something irresistible about this tone; it’s neither happy nor sad. As always, I encourage readers to visit the flourishing feasts website, where the complete Propria Missae may be downloaded free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Flowers
    Good Friday has a series of prayers for various parties: the pope, catechumens, pagans, heretics, schismatics, and so forth. In the old liturgical books, there was no official ‘name’ for these prayers. (This wasn’t unusual as ‘headers’ and ‘titles’ for each section is a rather modern idea.) The Missal simply instructed the priest to go to the Epistle side and begin. In the SHERBORNE MISSAL, each prayer begins with a different—utterly spectacular—flower. This PDF file shows the first few prayers. Has anyone counted the ‘initial’ drop-cap flowers in the SHERBORNE MISSAL? Surely there are more than 1,000.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Dies Irae” • A Monstrous Translation
    It isn’t easy to determine what Alice King MacGilton hoped to accomplish with her very popular book—A Study of Latin Hymns (1918)—which continued to be reprinted in new editions for at least 34 years. This PDF file shows her attempt to translate the DIES IRAE “in the fewest words possible.” There’s a place for dynamic equivalency, but this is repugnant. In particular, look what she does to “Quærens me sedísti lassus.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”
    For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” 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 Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Grotesque Pairing • “Passion Chorale”
    One of our rarest releases was undoubtably this PDF scan of the complete Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) by Father Joseph Roff, a student of Healey Willan. One of the scarcest titles in existence, this book was provided to us by Mr. Peter Meggison. Back in 2018, we scanned each page and uploaded it to our website, making it freely available to everyone. Readers are probably sick of hearing me say this, but just because we upload something that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wonderful or worthy of imitation. We upload many publications precisely because they are ‘grotesque’, interesting, or revealing. Whereas the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal had an editorial board that was careful and sensitive vis-à-vis pairing texts with tunes, the Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) seems to have been rather reckless in this regard. Please take a look at what they did with the PASSION CHORALE and see whether you agree.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Although some may not understand what is being sung, they understand why it is being sung, that is, for the praise of God, and this is enough, even if the faithful do not strictly speaking sing in order to rouse their devotion.”

— Saint Thomas Aquinas

Recent Posts

  • Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)
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  • Palm Sunday • “Repertoire for Children’s Choir”
  • PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)
  • Most “Congregational” Hymn • (In My Experience)

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