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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

What Hill are You Willing to Die on?

Andrew R. Motyka · January 1, 2014

S SOMEONE CONNECTED with many other music directors, there is a relatively common phenomenon that I witness, especially from those trying to make positive liturgical and musical changes in their parishes. I too often see music directors shooting themselves in the foot by being unyielding in all things. I see this most often among young directors, mainly because the experienced ones have either leaned to avoid this trap or are already working in other fields. Here is an unfortunately common scenario:

A young director, let’s call him Greg, begins a job at a new parish. He is just out of school, and as such, in some of the best musically technical shape of his life. He is on fire for Jesus and His liturgy, and wants nothing but the best to offer to God and his Church. So far, so good. These are all great qualities in any director.

Greg takes a look at the music situation in his parish and cringes a bit. Most of what they have been singing is “contemporary” music (read: composed in the 80s). It is a fairly large parish with a good spread of ages, from children through seniors. Most people in positions of leadership are content with the way music was going with the previous director. No worries; the pastor of the parish (Father Xavier, or Father X) has a similar vision for music and liturgy to Greg’s, and the two meet regularly to discuss where the parish is going to meet the mind of the Church in matters musical.

About six months in, just after Christmas, several choir members drop out. He is simply using “too much Latin,” and they sing a lot of music that “the people don’t know.” Greg sighs. He has only introduced two new hymns since beginning, and the only Latin pieces he has used are very common hymns like Adoro te devote and Pange Lingua. Anything else in Latin has been a choir piece, with a translation provided for the congregation.

A few months later, the pastor calls Greg into his office to talk. Father X has been hearing complaints from people about the music at Mass, and he has been hearing that some of them want to leave the parish for the church across town. He asks Greg if it is possible to use some more “contemporary” music like the parish was using before. He still wants Greg to move the parish in a positive direction, but thinks that the current pace might have been a bit too traumatizing.

Greg feels very strongly against this. He vowed that he would never use the Mass of Creation in a parish, and would sooner be somewhere else than ever have to play some of the songs that were requested. He does handful of the requested literature, but far too soon phases these out. Greg starts looking for a new position a mere 2 years after he began. He doesn’t understand why his vision of the music that the Church asks for at liturgy has been so ineffective.

Here is the question that all directors need to ask themselves: what hill are you willing to die on? If you stand your ground firmly on every battle that comes along, I promise you that your tenure will be short. Now, I am not saying that you should not have a hill on which to die. You need principles, hard ones and soft ones. You need to know where you are willing to put your foot down and say No, and where a bit of flexibility is needed. Many times, this flexibility is only necessary in the short term. You need to gain the parish’s trust, and become a part of them before you can slowly guide them forward.

You also need to ask yourself which is worse: if you pack up and leave the parish immediately, will it quickly slide back into the situation it was in before you left? Have you been making any positive impact at all? Finally, especially newer directors need to understand that shifting the musical and liturgical life of a parish is a marathon, not a sprint. It has taken us nearly 50 years to make some of the musical messes we have today, and it will take quite some time to build it back up again.
There is, of course, a difference between just “going along to get along” and compromising for the greater good. If Greg is willing to sing “You Are Mine” every now and then, the congregation’s tolerance level for Byrd’s Ave Verum will be stronger next time. How is that a loss? If Father X were asking Greg to eliminate parts of the Mass, or sing Alleluias in Lent, it is quite different from throwing the occasional bone so that the overall trajectory of liturgical quality can increase.

This doesn’t mean that we abandon all ideals, or that we fail to recognize what is greater from what is lesser. You may want to start a capital campaign for a new pipe organ in your parish, but all you are offered right now is a digital organ. If all you have is a small piano or electric keyboard, isn’t this at least a step in the right direction? It isn’t ideal, and nothing is stopping you from reaching for that ideal in the long run, but not every struggle needs to be a job-ender. If we figure out for ourselves where we can bend so that we can do greater things overall, in the end the parish will be a better place.

If we pack up and leave every time something goes wrong, the only people left will be those for whom the status quo is fine. That’s not a win for anybody.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    PDF Comparison Chart • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
    EARS BEFORE truly revolutionary changes were introduced by the post-conciliar reformers, Evelyn Waugh wrote (on 16 August 1964) to John Cardinal Heenan: “I think that a vociferous minority has imposed itself on the hierarchy and made them believe that a popular demand existed where there was in fact not even a preference.” We ask the kind reader— indeed, we beg you—to realize that those of us born in the 1940s and 1950s had no cognizance of Roman activities during the 1960s and 1970s. We were concerned with making sure we had the day’s bus fare, graduating from high school, taking care of our siblings, learning a trade, getting a job, courting a spouse. We questioned neither the nuns nor the Church.1 Do not believe for one instant any of us were following the liturgical machinations of Cardinal Lercaro or Father Bugnini in real time. Setting The Stage • To never question or resist Church authorities is praiseworthy. On the other hand, when a scandalous situation persists for decades, it must be brought into focus. Our series will do precisely that as we discuss the Lectionary Scandal from a variety of angles. We don’t do this to attack the Catholic Church. Our goal is bringing to light what’s been going on, so it can be fixed once and for all. Our subject is extremely knotty and difficult to navigate. Its complexity helps explain why the situation has persisted for such a long time.2 But if we immediately get “into the weeds” we’ll lose our audience. Therefore, it seems better to jump right in. So today, we’ll explore the legality of selling these texts. A Word On Copyright • Suppose Susie modifies a paragraph by Edgar Allan Poe. That doesn’t mean ipso facto she can assert copyright on it. If Susie takes a picture of a Corvette and uses Photoshop to color the tires blue, that doesn’t mean she henceforth “owns” all Corvettes in America. But when it comes to Responsorial Psalm translations, certain parties have been asserting copyright over them, selling them for a profit, and bullying publishers vis-à-vis hymnals and missals. Increasingly, Catholics are asking whether these translations are truly under copyright—because they are identical (or substantially identical) to other translations.3 Example After Example • Our series will provide copious examples supporting our claims. Sometimes we’ll rely on the readership for assistance, because—as we’ve stressed—our subject’s history couldn’t be more convoluted. There are countless manuscripts (in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin) we don’t have access to, so it would be foolish for us to claim that our observations are somehow the ‘final word’ on anything. Nevertheless, we demand accountability. Catholics in the pews are the ones who paid for all this. We demand to know who specifically made these decisions (which impact every English-speaking Catholic) and why specifically certain decisions were made. The Responsorial Psalms used in America are—broadly speaking—stolen from the hard work of others. In particular, they borrowed heavily from Father Cuthbert Lattey’s 1939 PSALTER TRANSLATION:
    *  PDF Download • COMPARISON CHART —We thank the CCW staff for technical assistance with this graph.
    Analysis • Although certain parties have been selling (!!!) that translation for decades, the chart demonstrates it’s not a candidate for copyright since it “borrows” or “steals” or “rearranges” so much material from other translations, especially the 1939 translation by Father Cuthbert Lattey. What this means in layman’s terms is that individuals have been selling a translation under false pretenses, a translation they don’t own (although they claim to). To make RESTITUTION, all that money will have to be returned. A few years ago, the head of ICEL gave a public speech in which he said they give some of “their” profits to the poor. While almsgiving is a good thing, it cannot justify theft. Our Constant Theme • Our series will be held together by one thread, which will be repeated constantly: “Who was responsible?” Since 1970, the conduct of those who made a profit by selling these sacred texts has been repugnant. Favoritism was shown toward certain entities—and we will document that with written proof. It is absolutely essential going forward that the faithful be told who is making these decisions. Moreover, vague justifications can no longer be accepted. If we’re told they are “making the translations better,” we must demand to know what specifically they’re doing and what specific criteria they’re following. Stay Tuned • If you’re wondering whether we’ll address the forthcoming (allegedly) Lectionary and the so-called ABBEY PSALMS AND CANTICLES, have no fear. We’ll have much to say about both. Please stay tuned. We believe this will end up being the longest series of articles ever submitted to Corpus Christi Watershed. To be continued. ROBERT O’NEILL Former associate of Monsignor Francis “Frank” P. Schmitt at Boys Town in Nebraska JAMES ARNOLD Formerly associated w/ King’s College, Cambridge A convert to the Catholic Church, and distant relative of J. H. Arnold MARIA B. Currently serves as a musician in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. Those aware of the situation in her diocese won’t be surprised she chose to withhold her last name.
    1 Even if we’d been able to obtain Roman journals such as NOTITIAE, none of them contained English translations. But such an idea would never have occurred to a high school student or a college student growing up in the 1960s. 2 A number of shell corporations claim to own the various biblical translations mandated for Roman Catholics. They’ve made millions of dollars selling (!) these indulgenced texts. If time permits, we hope to enumerate these various shell corporations and explain: which texts they claim to own; how much they bring in each year; who runs them; and so forth. It would also be good to explore the morality of selling these indulgenced texts for a profit. Furthermore, for the last fifty years these organizations have employed several tactics to manipulate and bully others. If time permits, we will expose those tactics (including written examples). Some of us—who have been working on this problem for three decades—have amassed written documentation we’ll be sharing that demonstrates behavior at best “shady” and at worst criminal. 3 Again, we are not yet examining the morality of selling (!) indulgenced texts to Catholics mandated to use those same translations.
    —Guest Author
    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). 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 the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —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

“Oh, the happy choir director who is hired to start work on a brand new choir, or who walks into his first rehearsal a total stranger to the existing group—what a fortunate man he is! The new choir director who is a former member of the choir, or a member of the congregation, or the nephew of the alto soloist, or a former altar boy, or otherwise well acquainted with the choir, is in for a few headaches.”

— Paul Hume (1956)

Recent Posts

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  • Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
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