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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

Keven Smith • Article Archive

Keven Smith is the music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church, an apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in Sacramento, California. He trains and directs a mixed choir that sings full Gregorian propers, ordinaries, and sacred polyphony at more than 100 traditional Latin Masses per year. Keven lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Keven Smith · August 24, 2020

Quick Vocal Tip: Be Breathy, but Briefly

You’ll never meet a serious choral singer who strives for a breathy sound. But a little breathiness in warmups and personal practice can work wonders. 

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Keven Smith · August 17, 2020

Stress Relief Tip: Let Your Structure Do the Work

When was the last time you gave your muscles permission to relax and let your bones do their job?

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Keven Smith · August 11, 2020

Why Are You a Church Musician, Anyway?

(Keven Smith) • Now is the perfect time for us all to stop and reflect on where we came from as church musicians. What was it that first made you interested in singing, directing, or playing the organ?+

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Keven Smith · August 4, 2020

Survey Results: Music at the TLM Doesn’t Matter?

In a recent survey, only 3% of young adults said it was music that drew them to the Latin Mass. Find out why that’s great news for church musicians.

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Keven Smith · July 27, 2020

Ubi Caritas Goes Viral: My Thoughts

Have you seen the viral video of four men singing Ubi Caritas in a stairwell? Here are some thoughts on this phenomenon.

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Keven Smith · July 14, 2020

Two Fast, Easy Ways for Church Musicians to Relieve Stress

One common place for musicians to feel wear and tear is in the neck. Here’s how to release it.

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Keven Smith · July 7, 2020

Unslumping Yourself with the King of Instruments

On those days when you can’t quite put your heart into singing, improvising at the organ can be comforting and rewarding.

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Keven Smith · June 29, 2020

Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part IV of IV)

We come now to the final installment in my series on our music program at St. Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church in Sacramento, California.

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Keven Smith · June 23, 2020

Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part III)

Far from being a mere complement to our parish choir, our young Choristers are, quite frankly, its core.

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Keven Smith · June 15, 2020

Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part II)

Yes, children as young as seven or eight will focus and listen as you’re teaching them solfege scales, rhythm patterns, beautiful Latin vowels, and more!

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Keven Smith · June 9, 2020

Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part 1)

At St. Stephen the First Martyr Church in Sacramento, the road to the choir loft begins at age four and is paved with furry puppets.

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Keven Smith · June 1, 2020

How to Get Better at Chant Without Opening Your Mouth

It’s a singular joy to make music, but as we all know, it’s the behind-the-scenes work that makes our rendition of the music truly special—all to the glory of God and the edification of His faithful.

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Keven Smith · May 26, 2020

The Fastest, Cheapest, Painfulest Way to Get a Voice Lesson

You know your own sound so well. You know your strengths, and what you need to work on. Why not suck it up and become your own vocal coach for a while?

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Keven Smith · May 18, 2020

What to Do When Music Creeps Into Your Prayer

Music is a language, but it does not supplant our own. Rather, it enlivens our words so that they can penetrate the soul with the fullness of their meaning—and enlighten our eyes in any circumstance.

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Keven Smith · May 11, 2020

Choir Roster? No. It’s a Love List!

You can form a stronger connection with your choir even while rehearsals are suspended. All it takes is one simple thing that you probably already have.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 29th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 19 October 2025, which is the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Liturgical Round (“Canon”) in C-Major
    Those who direct children’s choirs are always on the lookout for repertoire that’s dignified, inspired, and pleasing—yet still within reach of young choristers. Such directors will want to investigate this haunting liturgical round (PDF download) which has been married to the KYRIE from Mass VI (EDITIO VATICANA). I have provided an accompaniment, but it’s only for use during rehearsal; i.e. when teaching this round to your choristers. I also provided an organ accompaniment for the KYRIE—which some know by its trope (Kyrie Rex Genitor)—so that your congregation can take part when this round is used as a choral extension during Mass.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The Humanists abominated the rhythmical poetry of the Middle Ages from an exaggerated enthusiasm for ancient classical forms and meters. Hymnody then received its death blow as, on the revision of the Breviary under Pope Urban VIII, the medieval rhythmical hymns were forced into more classical forms by means of so-called corrections.”

— ‘Father Clemens Blume, S.J.’

Recent Posts

  • “Music List” • 29th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Fulton J. Sheen + this Sunday’s “Entrance Chant”
  • Children’s Repertoire • Three More Recommendations by Keven Smith
  • Liturgical Round (“Canon”) in C-Major
  • PDF Download • Liturgical Round (“Canon”) for your Children’s Choir

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