Update (25 April) • “Forthcoming Spanish Hymnal”
“When our people have the courage to break resolutely with a bad tradition, there are unworked mines of religious poetry in the old hymns that we can use in translations.” —Father Adrian Fortescue
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.”
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).

“When our people have the courage to break resolutely with a bad tradition, there are unworked mines of religious poetry in the old hymns that we can use in translations.” —Father Adrian Fortescue

There was deep division in Chicago between those who cheered for the Cubs and those who cheered for the White Sox.

Rachmaninoff never forgave Prokofiev for this, as anyone with a melancholic temperament will understand.

Being hired as organist or choirmaster for Catholic weddings can be stressful.
How many of your choir members can do this? (a) Recite the Tantum Ergo from memory; (b) Explain where the piece comes from and when specifically—during HOLY WEEK—it’s used; (c) Provide a literal translation (from memory, without looking in a book). This nifty one-page sheet (PDF) might be worth downloading if you’re worried some of […]

We must never let criticism by ‘haters’ bother us. We must strive to block them from our minds.

The most comprehensive German hymnal ever printed? Well, this masterpiece by Monsignor Stemmer is certainly in the top five!

In the past, I’ve mentioned how I can’t stand hearing wrong notes. I was playing LLANFAIR the other day, and I was hitting wrong notes. Earlier today, I created a simplified version which you can download for free. This famous tune (“LLANFAIR”) is often used on the feast of the Ascension, with “Hail the Day […]

“This argument from silence is wildly improbable.” —Father John Parsons (2001)

This article—a “mini-dissertation” on syllabic plainsong—writes songs using the names of various CCW authors.

A lovely offering by the “Chaumonot Composers Group.”

A serious typo in the Responsorial Psalm for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B.

I believe Catholics have a right to attend Mass without being aurally assaulted.
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