Views from the Choir Loft

Cynthia Ostrowski

Cynthia Ostrowski holds a bachelor's degree in Geographic Information Science and a minor in Computer Science from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (2005). She is currently a stay-at-home mother of two children. A former GIS analyst, Cynthia's interests include photography, french horn, and singing polyphony. Read more.

New Release • Contemporary Motets for SAB

Cynthia Ostrowski · September 14, 2016 ·

Kevin Allen has released a collection every Roman Catholic choir will treasure!

Catholic Bulletin Art • Installment #71

Cynthia Ostrowski · August 15, 2016 ·

If you’re confused about what’s happening, search google for “Dormition of Mary.”

Los Angeles: Less Than A Week Away!

Cynthia Ostrowski · May 23, 2016 ·

A phenomenal event which involves our District Superior & Archbishop Gomez.

“Ad Orientem” Image You’ll Want To Download

Cynthia Ostrowski · February 3, 2016 ·

This high resolution image portrays a priest offering Mass with the Holy Trinity above.

Popular Posts From 2015

Cynthia Ostrowski · December 29, 2015 ·

In case you missed any of these!

Catholic Bulletin Art • Installment #70

Cynthia Ostrowski · October 19, 2015 ·

The feast of Christ the King approaches!

Catholic Bulletin Art • Installment #69

Cynthia Ostrowski · September 16, 2015 ·

Today’s installment is a picture of Saint Alphonsus Ligouri.

To God Who Giveth Joy To My Youth

Cynthia Ostrowski · September 15, 2015 ·

“Old age steals on with its rich harvest and its peculiar trials, yet the same lips pronounce the same exultant words…”

Christmas Gift Idea • Unbelievable Made-By-Hand Wood Carvings!

Cynthia Ostrowski · August 24, 2015 ·

“Creating these etchings reminds me of my mother’s deep spirituality.” —John McCarthy

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(6 of 7)

Cynthia Ostrowski · March 1, 2015 ·

The wife of a Church musician weighs in…

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