Views from the Choir Loft

Dr. Gregory Hamilton • Article Archive

Dr. Gregory Hamilton is a widely published composer and accomplished performer. His compositions include works for organ, piano, choir, flute, cello, and orchestra. An active conductor, Dr. Hamilton also performs extensively as a soloist and accompanist on the organ, piano, harpsichord. He has also performed regularly on the keyboard, theorbo and lute with the Orchestra of New Spain. He is currently on the faculty of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas TX.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · September 3, 2020

(Installment #5) “Catholic Hymnals” • Dr. Gregory Hamilton

The word “hymn” is one of the earliest music words in all languages…

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Dr. Gregory Hamilton · July 20, 2020

Biography • Dr. Gregory Hamilton

Dr. Gregory Hamilton is a widely published composer and accomplished performer currently on the faculty of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas TX.

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · April 1, 2020

Repeating Repertoire? • Dr. Hamilton

Psalm 51 occurs a dozen times in the lectionary during the year, for such diverse days such as St. Thomas Aquinas, weekdays during ordinary Time, many days in Lent, and the Easter Vigil.

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · March 10, 2020

Psalms, Psalmody, Psalmists, Psalm Singing

Some of you may not know, but in seminaries and houses of religious, the 150 psalms are still recited or sung every month.

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · February 20, 2020

Secret Sympathy

“Our souls are moved to the ardor of piety by the sacred words more piously and powerfully when these words are sung…” —St. Augustine

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · January 28, 2020

“Performance” and the Liturgy.

I have sometimes been told that I was “performing” in the Liturgy, and this has made me think about the meaning of this term and why people say it…

Dr. Gregory Hamilton · January 18, 2020

Of Weddings, Funerals and other Comedies

A lot of what we do in serving our communities is rather unglamorous…

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Dr. Gregory Hamilton · March 27, 2019

Beauty in the Service of the Lord

“Recently, playing a prelude before a Mass, I thought of the preeminence of beauty in our faith.” —Dr. Hamilton

6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski

2 January 2021 • Temptation

When I see idiotic statements made on the internet, I go nuts. When I see heretics promoted by people who should know better, I get angry. Learning to ignore such items is difficult—very difficult. I try to remember the words of Fr. Valentine Young: “Do what God places in front of you each day.” When I am honest, I don’t believe God wants me to dwell on errors and idiocy; there’s nothing I can do about that. During 2021, I will strive to do a better job following the advice of Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski

31 December 2020 • “COMITES CHRISTI”

The feasts for Saint Stephen Proto-Martyr (26 December), Saint John the Evangelist The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (27 December), and the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December) seem untouched by any liturgical reforms. These are very powerful feasts—I believe they once possessed octaves—and I believe they could sometimes “overpower” a Sunday feast. The rules for octaves in the olden days are extremely complex. These feasts are sometimes referred to as a single entity as: Comites Christi (“Companions of Christ”). This is just a guess, but there seems to be a triple significance: STEPHEN martyred after Christ lived, JOHN was a martyr who knew Christ personally, and the HOLY INNOCENTS were martyred before Christ’s birth.

—Jeff Ostrowski