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Corpus Christi Watershed

We’re a 501(c)3 public charity established in 2006. We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and run no advertisements. We exist solely by the generosity of small donors.

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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 · September 11, 2023

Jeff Ostrowski’s Discovery • (Does Anyone Care?)

Feel free to examine every single page if you doubt what I’m saying!

Jeff Ostrowski · September 8, 2023

8 Sept. 2023 • Charles Rosen on Bach!

Charles Rosen was a concert pianist who published insightful books about various musical topics. I believe our readers will enjoy this 27-minute presentation on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Not everything Mr. Rosen says is true. (For instance, Rosen was not the first pianist to record the ART OF THE FUGUE on the piano. […]

Jeff Ostrowski · September 7, 2023

7 Sept. 2023 • Alphabetized Hymnals?

One could be forgiven for believing that arranging hymns in alphabetical order would make them easier to find. Believe it or not, that’s actually one of the worst decisions an editor could make. This very brief video explains why.

Jeff Ostrowski · September 6, 2023

Natalia’s Message • “Explaining The Two Sections!”

If you asked random Catholics to recite in English—without reference to a book—a stanza from the “Tantum Ergo” of Saint Thomas Aquinas, how many do you think could?

Jeff Ostrowski · September 5, 2023

Does It Make Sense to Alphabetize Hymnals?

Perhaps you’re saying to yourself: “Jeff comes across as super ungrateful.”

Jeff Ostrowski · September 4, 2023

When Others Say You’re “Dumb”

I could give a zillion more examples of my disability.

Jeff Ostrowski · September 2, 2023

Are You A Professional? • (Am I One?)

Including a Eucharistic Hymn (#142) every Catholic should know!

Jeff Ostrowski · August 30, 2023

“Momentous Release!” • Freakishly Rare Gradual & Vesperal Published by Pothier’s Protégé (1,638 pages!)

He screamed into the telephone: “There’s no such thing as Gregorian Chant!”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 29, 2023

PDF Download • “Alleluia Verse before Gospel” • (Mass in honor of Saint Noël Chabanel)

Instead, Saint Francis knelt down and kissed the priest’s hands…

Jeff Ostrowski · August 27, 2023

27 August 2023 • Nine Merry Men!

Half a decade has passed since nine (9) colleagues from Corpus Christi Watershed contributed texts, melodies, and harmonizations to a special hymn book in honor of North America’s patron saint, Father John Brébeuf. The website promoting it was massively overdue for a facelift. As of a few minutes ago, I can report that it’s been […]

Jeff Ostrowski · August 24, 2023

24 August 2023 • FEEDBACK

From a female choirmaster: “Thank you for your recent article, Jeff. We here in _____ absolutely love our Brébeuf hymnals! They have saved my life as a choir director! ☺️ The ease with which my choir members plunge into a new hymn using the ‘common melodies technique’ is so wonderful. You can see the relief on […]

Jeff Ostrowski · August 24, 2023

Natalia’s Message • “Hymn Verses Written Out!”

The cruelest thing you can do to anyone is…

Jeff Ostrowski · August 23, 2023

PDF Download • Saint Noël Chabanel Mass Setting (“Kýrie Eléison”) for the Ordinary Form

We must remember the lesson of the rock.

Jeff Ostrowski · August 22, 2023

PDF Download • “Our Father” (SATB Version)

Today, I release another movement of the “Saint Noël Chabanel Mass Setting” (for use in the Ordinary Form).

Jeff Ostrowski · August 18, 2023

PDF Download • Saint Noël Chabanel Mass Setting (“Holy, Holy, Holy”) for the Ordinary Form

As if the canonic sections were insufficiently stupendous, the composer works in stepwise ascending lines juxtaposed with lines in augmentation.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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

Quick Thoughts

    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

Random Quote

“There is no music worth hearing save that written in the last 40 years.”

— Johannes Tinctoris (1477)

Recent Posts

  • Pope Leo XIV pays tribute to Palestrina
  • PDF Download • Palestrina’s “Ave Maria”
  • PDF Download • “2025 Booklet for Participants for the Sacred Music Symposium” — (155 pages)
  • Luis Martínez Must Go!
  • Pope Pius XII Hymnal?

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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