Views from the Choir Loft

Dr. Samuel Backman • Article Archive

Dr. Samuel Backman earned degrees at Saint Olaf College, Yale University, and the University of Oklahoma. He currently serves as Director of Sacred Music at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he chairs a multi-faceted music program across three campuses. He resides with his wife in Minneapolis, Minnesota.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Dr. Samuel Backman · June 6, 2025

“Participation” • Recovering its Receptive Dimension

“The goal of our active participation is not that we might shape and mold God, but that he might shape and mold us.” —Dr. Samuel Backman

Dr. Samuel Backman · January 24, 2025

The Lofty Nature of This Goal

The lofty nature of this goal…

Dr. Samuel Backman · November 5, 2024

Bending Your Ear • A Sound Theology

“The way in which music is deployed in the Holy Mass has a direct impact on how we understand our relationship with God.” —Dr. Backman

Dr. Samuel Backman · September 19, 2024

Is Investment in Sacred Music Really Necessary?

“About a year later, when many Covid restrictions had been lifted, we saw quite an influx of new faces come into our parish…” —Dr. Samuel Backman

Dr. Samuel Backman · July 24, 2024

Sacred Music and Suspicions of Elitism

“While a student, I was told to avoid playing Bach in the context of worship, as doing so might give the impression that I was targeting a sort of ‘elite’ class.” —Dr. Samuel Backman

Dr. Samuel Backman · January 10, 2013

Biography • Dr. Samuel Backman

Samuel earned degrees from Saint Olaf College, Yale University, and the University of Oklahoma…

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

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