Views from the Choir Loft

Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. As editor, she has produced fine publications (as well as valuable reprints) dealing with Gregorian chant, hymnody, Latin, and other subjects. These publications are distinguished on account of their tastefulness. She lives in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her husband Peter and six children. Read more.

Can You Sing Along to Monks?

Veronica Brandt · January 27, 2018 ·

A video to supplement our local choir practices – a quick run through Missa Orbis Factor (also known as Mass XI) – the Gregorian Mass setting for Sundays during the year.

Tweaking Linebreaks Online with Gregorio

Veronica Brandt · January 6, 2018 ·

You CAN add linebreaks with Illuminare Score Editor. All in the browser.

GABC Propers Tool Revisited

Veronica Brandt · December 30, 2017 ·

A major shortcut to preparing Gregorian chant propers and ordinaries.

Epiphany Proclamation 2018

Veronica Brandt · December 23, 2017 ·

Fifteen years typing up the Proclamation of Moveable Feasts!

Not That Gaudete

Veronica Brandt · December 16, 2017 ·

A simple misunderstanding that arises with new choir members who are aware of the Christmas Carol called Gaudete and that the Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday.

Online Advent Calendars 2017

Veronica Brandt · December 9, 2017 ·

What do you use to countdown to Christmas?

Tantum Ergo Comically Misunderstood in Italian

Veronica Brandt · December 2, 2017 ·

Tantum Ergo or Canta Merlo? A bit of fun with Italian and Latin.

Sing Salve Regina in Your Rosary

Veronica Brandt · November 25, 2017 ·

A good chant to begin with. Print a copy with interlinear translation and join with one of the best known chants from the Church Universal.

Christus Vincit – Christ Conquers

Veronica Brandt · October 14, 2017 ·

A little more on the triumphal chant inspired from Roman victory celebrations.

Corda Pia – A Franciscan Hymn

Veronica Brandt · September 30, 2017 ·

A really old hymn commemorating the Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi.

Could Pope St. Pius X Sing?

“On 12 March 1908, the complete publication of the Roman Gradual was issued by the Vatican Press. On that very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. A witness of the audience says that Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement pro aliquibus locis—it was the Introit of the new Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.” (Catholic Choirmaster, February 1915)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Julius Bas Accompaniment

A very prolific harmonizer of Gregorian chant in the early 20th century was Mr. Julius Bas. He often uses a very strange technique, wherein he employs rests to eliminate the Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Consider what he did with “Lumen ad revelationem” here:

* JPEG • Lumen ad revelationem

It seems quite lazy, and I’ve never seen anyone else use such a technique, although Dr. Peter Wagner often switched to parallel octaves when he ran out of ideas… (Yuck!)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Hitting wrong notes

Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, used to say: “The organist can play 1,000 correct notes and one wrong note—and the only thing people will care about is the wrong note.” Last Sunday I hit some wrong notes, and felt bad. Then I remembered a story about Rudolf Serkin and started to chuckle. Charles Rosen (or was it Leon Fleisher?) told the story of Serkin playing a Beethoven Sonata in front of a large audience. The theme is all in octaves; but Serkin hit some wrong notes, and played parallel 7ths instead. This so unnerved him that every time the theme returned, he played the entire thing in parallel 7ths! We must remember that even the greatest hit wrong notes. Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Sviatoslav Richter, Egon Petri—they all hit wrong notes, which we can hear on recordings. (Josef Hofmann was an exception, but he was super-human so he doesn’t count!)

—Jeff Ostrowski