Views from the Choir Loft

Guest Author

Guest Author · February 28, 2017

EF Divine Office Resource • Daily Recordings of Lauds

“At the crowing of the cock, hope returns…”

Guest Author · January 3, 2017

New! • Easy Choral Extension Mass (Ordinary Form)

How to make polyphony work for your Ordinary Form Choir.

Guest Author · December 22, 2016

Opening Our Hearts At Christmas

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is…

Guest Author · November 7, 2016

Catholic Liturgy in Secular Sweden

How does a tiny Catholic community in a secularized country celebrate Mass with the Pope?

Guest Author · October 28, 2016

What you didn’t realize about World Youth Day…

Guest article by the co-director of music for the English liturgies at WYD 2016.

Guest Author · October 27, 2016

PDF Download • “Mass of the Alabaster Jar” (2016)

These settings were written to be easily played by pianists and organists of an intermediate skill level.

Guest Author · September 5, 2016

Guest Article: “Why That Hymn Doesn’t Work”

Twelve Criteria to Help Explain Yourself

Guest Author · April 6, 2016

Musical and Liturgical Life at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center

Praising our Extraordinary God in the Ordinary Form

Guest Author · March 5, 2016

“To Sing With The Angels” • A History Of The Twin Cities Catholic Chorale

A guest article by Dr. Virginia A. Schubert.

Guest Author · January 25, 2016

Reflections on the Change of the Mandatum Rite

A guest article by Mr. Michael Chan, who lives in Hong Kong.

Guest Author · December 14, 2015

Benedict XVI Institute Seeks Executive Director

Are you an entrepreneur?

Guest Author · November 7, 2015

Sermon on Poor Souls • Based on Wisdom 2:23—3:9

A guest article by Fr. Valentine Young, OFM

Guest Author · October 12, 2015

“Saving” Gregorian Chant In The Ordinary Form

Daniel Craig’s review with a “signs of the times” digression.

Guest Author · September 9, 2015

PDF Download • SAB Setting of “Jesu Rex Admirabilis”

Including an update on wonderful things happening for Sacred Music in Colorado!

Guest Author · September 1, 2015

The Responsorial Psalm: What You Never Knew!

…including recent documentation from the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy (USCCB).

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