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Views from the Choir Loft

Richard J. Clark • Article Archive

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. He is also Chapel Organist (Saint Mary’s Chapel) at Boston College. His compositions have been performed worldwide.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Richard J. Clark · April 19, 2013

Hope and Prayer in this Valley of Tears

In Boston we send up our sighs, our mourning, and our weeping in this valley of tears. Great suffering compels us to move towards Christ, and Christ in turn embraces us lovingly in his comforting embrace. Therefore, the sacred liturgy is essential at the time, more than ever.

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Richard J. Clark · April 15, 2013

Not a movie. This was real.

This attack happened within my parish. St. Cecilia Parish in the Back Bay section of Boston, is around the block from the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Several historic churches literally surround the finish line. So where is God in all of this?

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Richard J. Clark · April 12, 2013

Does Having Children Make Us Better at Our Jobs?

Working for the Church is often not conducive to family life. But, in my children, I found God. Children have helped me focus on what and who is important.

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Richard J. Clark · April 5, 2013

Say the Black. Do the Red—with Love.

The road to the ideal must travel through the hearts and minds of real flesh and blood. If in our ministry we are not teaching love, then we have failed.

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Richard J. Clark · March 31, 2013

The Power of Gregorian Chant

A crowd of nearly 1,000 people, many who don’t come to mass, many who may not prefer Gregorian Chant, many who know nothing about chant—fell silent.

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Richard J. Clark · March 29, 2013

Suffering, Death, and Children’s Questions

“Why the Cross?” Little children are rarely afraid to ask the questions that adults are afraid to ask.

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Richard J. Clark · March 22, 2013

A Personal Encounter with Pope Francis

While speaking to his secretary, the Holy Father came down the hall and I greeted him with the traditional kissing of his ring, and we spoke for a little over a minute.

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Richard J. Clark · March 20, 2013

Free Communion Propers for the Easter Season, Year C

Free download of Communion Propers for the Easter Season, Year C

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Richard J. Clark · March 17, 2013

Mourning Pope Benedict XVI and Trusting the Holy Spirit

The Church’s vast treasury of sacred music belongs to the people! This is the truth that will bear out.

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Richard J. Clark · March 15, 2013

Reflections from St. Peter’s Square

Fr. Jonathan Gaspar, Priest Secretary to His Eminence Seán Cardinal O’Malley, shares his heartfelt reflections from St. Peter’s Square on the historic day of March 13, 2013.

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Richard J. Clark · March 1, 2013

From Ashes to the Living Font

Sometimes we do our best work while in exile. Today, the Chair of Peter lies empty. This Lent, we will certainly end up in a different place than where we started. Hopefully, we will be transformed individually and as a Church.

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Richard J. Clark · February 22, 2013

Exodus and the Chair of Saint Peter

In his book “The Spirit of the Liturgy,” Pope Benedict reminds us that Israel’s flight from Egypt had two distinct goals. One was to reach the Promised Land. But the second is perhaps far more important: Exodus 7:16 “Let my people go, that they may serve me.”

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Richard J. Clark · February 15, 2013

A Proposed Lenten Fast for Musicians

Christ’s love has gathered us into one. True, we may be united in the love of Christ—but not necessarily in other things. Our differences may be vast. This is where the bounds of love and Christian charity are truly tested.

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Richard J. Clark · February 8, 2013

Mardi Gras and Burying the Alleluia

The “Alleluia” was literally buried in the cemetery, leaving the people with the hope and anticipation of its Easter Sunday resurrection.

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Richard J. Clark · January 25, 2013

Full and Active Preparation – ora et labora

For the sacred musician, full and active participation not only includes mindfulness during mass . . .

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Insane Baroque-Era Dissonance!
    The sumptuous melody called “JESU LEIDEN PEIN UND TOD” appears no fewer than three times in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal and is harmonized with standard Common Practice Era SATB voice leading and harmonies (which is only natural). However, one who takes the time to examine what Sebastian Bach did with that tune will encounter an incredibly dissonant sound. As far as I’m concerned, there is no more dissonant sound—in the entire Baroque era—than what I highlighted in yellow on that excerpt. Please let me know if you disagree.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of July (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). Since we were founded in 2006, not one of our board members has ever accepted any remuneration whatsoever—not a penny. 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
    Music List • (15th Sund. Ordinary Time)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), which is 12 July 2026. Please feel free to download it as a PDF file if that appeals to you. The hymns chosen are some of the most ‘traditional’ I have chosen (and were chosen by our pastor). The ENTRANCE CHANT radiates pure bliss, overflowing with joy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    ‘Ould’ But Not Good
    Dom Samuel Gregory Ould (note the spelling) was a Benedictine monk at FORT AUGUSTUS ABBEY in Scotland. As musician, organist, and composer, Dom Ould was highly regarded. Moreover, he was considered an authority on Gregorian Chant. But not everything found in an old book—or, in this case, an “Ould” book—is necessarily praiseworthy. Consider this page from Dom Ould’s hymnal. Do you see the rhymes? They offend severely by ABR (“Abuse By Reuse”) and are utterly predictable. In my recent article—Two Ways to Defile a Hymn—I addressed this topic.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reader Feedback” • 22 June 2026
    A reader wrote to us from Virginia: “I really appreciate the 23 harmonizations that you posted on CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED for the Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary hymn. I hope to find willing voices in our small Schola Cantorum to try the three-voice version. Carry on, sir! You’re doing the Lord’s work.” While we don’t know this gentleman personally, we note that he earned a Ph.D. (which demonstrates that our blog has something for everybody). 😊
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Time and Again We Are Asked…
    John Baptist Singenberger (d. 1924) was a central figure of Catholic Church music. In this utterly fascinating excerpt (Single-Page PDF), Singenberger writes: Time and again we are asked: “Is the Gregorian chant to be accompanied by the organ?” As a young student in Saint Gall, Singenberger befriended SEBASTIAN GEBHARD MESSMER, the future Archbishop of Milwaukee (Wisconsin). The two graduated together in 1861. The school they attended (Saint George’s Seminary) was a “seminary”—but in the older European sense. In other words, it provided a classical education without necessarily leading to ordination. Singenberger remained a layman his whole life, but Messmer was eventually made archbishop—by Pope Saint Pius X—of the very archdiocese in Wisconsin where Singenberger would spend his American career, giving him a powerful ecclesiastical ally.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“My one great desire is that during the sacred functions all the faithful should sing the melodies of the liturgy and the sacred hymns with a full voice.”

— Pope Saint Pius X

Recent Posts

  • Insane Baroque-Era Dissonance!
  • Explanation of Gregorian Chant • “Using Words Mama Can Understand”
  • “Reminder” — Month of July (2026)
  • “Reader Feedback” • 9 July 2026
  • PDF Downloads • “16 Gorgeous SAB Motets”

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