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Corpus Christi Watershed

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 · August 13, 2020

“Crown Him with Many Crowns” (Diademata) • Brébeuf Hymnal #752

Big news! They discovered why Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” was never completed!

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Jeff Ostrowski · August 12, 2020

These kids are on fire! • “Victimæ Paschali Laudes” by Philippe Verdelot

I don’t know a more beautiful, gorgeous, memorable 15 seconds than the beginning of Part 2—stunning!

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Jeff Ostrowski · August 10, 2020

10 August 2020 • FEEDBACK

A reader wrote to us: “I just wanted to send you a message and let you know I REALLY like the compositions on your website. You have a very rich harmonic language in your choral writing. The work you do is so appreciated and important!”

Jeff Ostrowski · August 9, 2020

PDF Download • “Veni Creator Spiritus” Organ Accompaniment (Each Verse Notated)

Accompaniment to the hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus” with all the verses written out (composed by Jeff Ostrowski).

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Jeff Ostrowski · August 7, 2020

Vexing? Irksome? • Thoughts On Hymnal Indexes

Most people comb desperately through the final pages, seeking the correct section…

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Jeff Ostrowski · August 6, 2020

Allowed or Forbidden? • Parallel Fourths in Renaissance Polyphony

Article Subtitle: “Brave schola director posts live recording from rehearsal.”

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Jeff Ostrowski · August 4, 2020

4 August 2020 • FEEDBACK

A reader wrote to us: “I must confess to taking oodles of inspiration from the work that you do. When I first found your website it was a revelation. I’ve been a monthly donor ever since. I think the work that you do is absolutely VITAL. There are so many things I’d have never been […]

Jeff Ostrowski · August 1, 2020

1 August 2020 • FEEDBACK

K.S. in Rochester, New York, wrote to us: “Your website is outstanding. It is a rich mine for information and liturgical music. Glad I found it. I’m a retired former orchestra conductor and church music director and organist. While I’m no longer an active church music director and organist (after 45 years with a variety […]

Jeff Ostrowski · July 31, 2020

“Stella Caeli Exstirpavit” • Gregorian Chant During Times Of Pestilence

I would give anything to know how these girls created this recording—because it’s free rhythm!

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Jeff Ostrowski · July 28, 2020

Goal Met • Why We’re Grateful To Our Readers

The pop-up has been taken down…plus, a small gift to our readers!

Jeff Ostrowski · July 23, 2020

PDF Download • “Holy Week and Easter with Gregorian Chant” (797 pages)

Supremely rare Belgian book with Gregorian Chant!

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Jeff Ostrowski · July 22, 2020

22 July 2020 • Five Recent Messages

We are asking our readers to give $5.00 per month (or even $3.00 per month) so we can keep our website online. Here are five recent messages from donors: (#1) Your site is a Godsend. It must continue. I am a church mouse but I can afford $5 a month. Let’s help keep the beautiful […]

Jeff Ostrowski · July 22, 2020

21 July 2020 • From a Musicology PhD…

To you and your colleagues who helped produce the Brébeuf hymnal, I wanted to drop a line to say “bravo.” I just got a copy and immediately ordered the choral supplement (I ought to have just gotten it in the first place). What an achievement this book is! This is the sort of hymnal one […]

Jeff Ostrowski · July 21, 2020

“Pope Pius XII Psalter” • How different was it?

If this had caught on, every chant book—along with every psalm setting of Palestrina, Victoria, Morales, Guerrero, etc.—would have become “garbage” overnight.

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Jeff Ostrowski · July 17, 2020

PDF Download • “Label Your Luggage”

Religious instruction from Fr. Robert Nash, SJ. (1943 Imprimatur)

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “For Pentecost Sunday”
    Yesterday morning, I recorded myself singing the ENTRANCE CHANT for Pentecost Sunday while simultaneously accompanying myself on the pipe organ. Click here to see how that came out. At the end of the antiphon, there’s a triple Allelúja and I just love the chord at the end of the 2nd iteration. The organ accompaniment—along with the musical score for singers—can be downloaded free of charge at the flourishing feasts website. For the record, the antiphon on Pentecost Sunday doesn’t come from a psalm; it comes from the book of Wisdom.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Organ Accompaniment”
    Over the past few years, I’ve been harmonizing all the vernacular plainsong Introit settings by the CHAUMONOT COMPOSERS GROUP. This coming Sunday—10 May 2026—is the 6th Sunday of Easter (Year A). The following declaration will probably smack of “blowing my own horn.” However, I’d rank this accompaniment as my best yet. In this rehearsal video, I attempt to sing it while simultaneously accompanying myself on the pipe organ. The musical score [for singers] as well as my organ accompaniment can be downloaded free of charge from the flourishing feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Gregorian Chant Quiz” • 4 May 2026
    A few days ago, the CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED Facebook page posted this Gregorian Chant quiz regarding a rubric for the SEQUENCE for the feast of Corpus Christi: “Lauda Sion Salvatórem.” There is no audience more intelligent than ours—yet surprisingly nobody has been able to guess the rubric. Drop me an email with the right answer, and I’ll affirm your brilliance to everyone I encounter!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Thee” + “Thou” + “Thine”
    Few musicians realize that various English translations of Sacred Scripture were granted formal approval by the USCCB and the Vatican for liturgical use in the United States of America. But don’t take my word for it! Here are four documents proving this, which you can examine with your own eyes. Some believe the words “Thine” and “Thou” and “Thee” were forbidden after Vatican II—but that’s incorrect. For example, they’re found in the English translation of the ‘Our Father’ at Mass. Moreover, the Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition) mentioned in those four documents employs “Thine” and “Thou” and “Thee.” It was published with a FOREWORD by Westminster’s Roman Catholic Archbishop (John Cardinal Heenan).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of May (2026)
    On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. It couldn’t be easier to subscribe! Just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Version • “Canon in D” (Pachelbel)
    I published an article on 11 November 2023 called Wedding March For The Lazy Organist, which rather offhandedly made reference to a simplified version I created in 2007 for Pachelbel’s Canon. I often use it as a PROCESSIONAL for weddings and quinceañeras. Many organists say they “hate” Pachelbel’s Canon. But I love it. I think it’s bright and beautiful. I created that ‘simplified version’ for musicians coming to grips with playing the pipe organ. It can be downloaded as a free PDF if you visit Andrea Leal’s article dated 15 August 2022: Manuals Only: Organ Interludes Based on Plainsong. Specifically, it is page 84 in that collection—generously offered as a free PDF download. Johann Pachelbel (d. 1706) was a renowned German organist, violinist, teacher, and composer of over 500 works. A friend of Bach’s family, he taught Johann Christoph Bach (Sebastian Bach’s eldest brother) and lived in his house. Those who read Pachelbel’s biography will notice his connection to two German cities adopted as famous hymn tune names: EISENACH and ERFURT.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Participation” in the Mass does not mean hearing our own voices. It means God hearing our voices. Only He knows who is “participating” at Mass. I believe, to compare small things with great, that I “participate” in a work of art when I study it and love it silently.

— Evelyn Waugh

Recent Posts

  • Inspiring Paper from a Graduating High School Senior
  • Entrance Chant • Before or After Opening Hymn?
  • “Unfair Characterization” • (But Good Question)
  • “Thee” + “Thou” + “Thine”
  • PDF Download • “For Pentecost Sunday”

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