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Corpus Christi Watershed

“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Dr. Tappan • Article Archive

Dr. Lucas Tappan is a conductor and organist whose specialty is working with children. He lives in Kansas with his wife and four children.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Dr. Lucas Tappan · May 7, 2019

To: Headmaster of Westminster Cathedral Choir School

Like the great Cathedral of Notre Dame, this daily musical offering belongs not only to the Church in London and the British Isles, but to the universal Church.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · April 30, 2019

A Reason To Hope

We need to remember how small the amount of yeast is that is needed to leaven the dough.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · February 27, 2019

Strive for Greatness!

Stop trying to make everything easy, and therefore unimportant.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · February 12, 2019

The Cantor and Congregational Singing

I wonder if we haven’t lost sight of the cantor’s original purpose of fostering congregational singing…

Dr. Lucas Tappan · November 27, 2018

Millennials and Authenticity

But what do we mean by authenticity?

Dr. Lucas Tappan · November 13, 2018

Incredible Advent/Christmas Resource for Families

Download this incredible resource for families who wish to live the liturgical life more deeply with the home.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · November 7, 2018

Chorister Catechesis

Be mindful of the immense power that you as a choir director having in orienting your choristers toward Heaven.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · October 30, 2018

A Refresher on Chorister Training

There are three areas that are especially helpful to be competent in when working with children.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · October 25, 2018

Leeds Cathedral and the Schools Singing Program

In addition to great choir schools at our cathedrals, the Church needs grass roots programs like this throughout our parishes.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · September 13, 2018

The Problem with the Universal Prayer of the Church

Young people today aren’t yearning for the ancient expressions of the Church’s liturgical life merely due to a distorted view of a supposedly golden former age…

Dr. Lucas Tappan · August 31, 2018

New Catholic Choral School…in Detroit!

“Qui bene cantat bis orat!”

Dr. Lucas Tappan · August 7, 2018

Precious in the Eyes of the Lord is the Death of His Faithful One

We have all encountered these moments that sustain us along our pilgrim way and I assume the same could be said of all the Holy Martyrs.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · July 20, 2018

A Model for Parish Revitalization (Ordinary Form)

“Being Evangelical Catholics requires that we know the Gospel, believe the Gospel, live the Gospel, and share the Gospel with others—and this begins and ends for us in the sacred liturgy…”

Dr. Lucas Tappan · July 11, 2018

The Sung Canon

Since the Canon cannot be recited “silently” in the Ordinary Form, I wonder if chanting it might be one answer to the lack of transcendence we often encounter within Mass.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · July 3, 2018

Impressions from Sacred Music Colloquium 2018

I thought today I would share with readers some of my impressions of the wonderful events that took place.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“So, as in delirium a man talks in a long-forgotten tongue, now—when her heart is rent—the Catholic Church drops twenty centuries without an effort, and speaks as she spoke underground in Rome, and in Paul’s hired house, and in Crete and Alexandria and Jerusalem.”

— A non-Catholic describing the “Hagios O Theos” of Good Friday in 1906

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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