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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

Jeff Ostrowski • Article Archive

A theorist, organist, and conductor, Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He completed studies in Education and Musicology at the graduate level. Having worked as a church musician in Los Angeles for ten years, in 2024 he accepted a position as choirmaster for Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Michigan, where he resides with his wife and children. —Read full biography (with photographs).

Jeff Ostrowski · January 31, 2015

Musical Resources • Septuagesima Sunday

«GLORIA in EXCELSIS» is not said from Septuagesima Sunday until Easter, except on Holy Thursday, Holy Saturday, & some special feasts.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 28, 2015

Innocuous But Uninspired Music At Mass?

In my youth, I recall singing some of these same songs at Mass, but I refused to do the hand gestures.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 27, 2015

PDF Download: Eucharistic Verset By Palestrina

Your more advanced singers will love this piece by Palestrina!

Jeff Ostrowski · January 26, 2015

Father Richard McBrien & The Passing Of An Era

“My Roman collar is my television uniform.” —Fr. Richard McBrien

Jeff Ostrowski · January 24, 2015

PDF Download: Saint Rose Hymnal (1938)

“It contains about two hundred hymns—all from approved sources—and covers every phase of Catholic devotion.” —Foreword by the Bishop of La Crosse

Jeff Ostrowski · January 23, 2015

Musical Resources • Third Sunday after Epiphany

Hymns can be implemented into the Latin High Mass with great effect.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 22, 2015

True Meaning Of The Word “Liturgy”

Historically, “liturgy” referred to a service done for the people, not by them.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 21, 2015

PDF Download: “Laudate Hymnal” (1942) … An Exceptionally Rare Book!

“We feel that the selection of hymns leaves little to be desired…” —From the 1942 Foreword

Jeff Ostrowski · January 20, 2015

PDF Download: Hymn Book By Sisters Of Notre Dame (1907)

“Yet zephyrs vainly fan me, and flow’rs to groves invite…”

Jeff Ostrowski · January 19, 2015

Dick Morris & Gregorian Accompaniment

Some people accept a job as choir director and say, “I have five singers who don’t read music, so I guess that’s how it will always be.”

Jeff Ostrowski · January 18, 2015

From The 1400s • Communion Kneeling

A beautiful image from 15th-century Austria.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 15, 2015

PDF Download: Standard Catholic Hymnal (1921)

This extremely rare Catholic hymn book is here made available for the first time ever as a PDF download.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 15, 2015

Musical Resources • Second Sunday after Epiphany

It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful text than Sedulius’ Hymn: Hostis Herodes Impie.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 14, 2015

Hypocrisy About Francis From An Unlikely Source

Resist the temptation to believe that Francis is 80,000 times as important as Benedict since he receives 80,000 times as much media coverage.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 13, 2015

PDF Download: Notre Dame Hymn Tune Book (1905)

“They call me a Papist and they laugh at my creed…”

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    Music List • (3rd Sunday of Lent)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 3rd Sunday of Lent (8 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its stern INTROIT (“Óculi mei semper ad Dóminum”) is breathtaking, and the COMMUNION (“Qui bíberit aquam”) with its fauxbourdon verses is wonderful. 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 • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)
    I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.
    —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

“Partly on account of these alterations, and partly because I have been unable to ascertain the authorship of many compositions—which have come to me either in manuscript or through other collections—I have thought it right to publish the volume without appending the names of writers to their works. This, however, I confess to be a defect…”

— Benjamin Hall Kennedy (1863)

Recent Posts

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  • Good Friday Flowers
  • PDF Download • “Entrance Chant” for Holy Thursday (Plainsong in English)
  • “Dies Irae” • A Monstrous Translation

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