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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

“Matri Divinæ Gratiæ” • 3-voice Motets (SAB)

Cynthia Ostrowski · September 14, 2016

EVIN ALLEN’S magnificent collection for three voices—Soprano, Alto, Bass—can now be purchased directly from Amazon, and we have greatly reduced the price. Depending on how the psalm verses are sung (which is a decision left to each choirmaster) these pieces can be as long or short as necessary to match the liturgical action. If your choir has more females than males, this collection will thrill you—because all the pieces are written for SAB!

*  MATRI DIVINAE GRATIAE • Purchase this book!
$8.99 per copy • Eligible for Amazon Prime! • 44 pages.

Click here to download a sample page.

Contemporary Harmonies: Composer Kevin Allen has produced a true masterpiece, make no mistake about it. Some of these pieces are somber and stately. An example would be “Aufer A Me,” and observe how each voice enters on a different scale degree—a superb touch! One way to find out whether a composition is excellent is to take away one or more voices and examine the result. Mr. Allen’s creation certainly passes that test with flying colors, as you can see by listening to a version missing one voice (i.e. with one voice removed). The result is both interesting and pleasing. This is contemporary music, so the “RRR” (Rigid Renaissance Rules) are not followed…yet each voice is eminently singable—an absolute joy!

Rehearsal videos for each individual voice:
“Aufer A Me” • SOPRANO • ALTO • BASS

Small Groups: Some of the pieces are extremely bright—and the following example demonstrates that—and they are very “tuneful” or “catchy.” Once these pieces get into your head, they won’t leave! And that’s okay, because the sacred liturgy is supposed to be something in which we take delight. They sound very good sung by even a handful of singers. Below is a live recording from our 9:00am Sunday Mass—which is sung by a very small group of singers:

Large Groups: On the other hand, these piece sound absolutely spectacular when they are sung by a large group of singers. By the way, in terms of the layout (which includes solfège markings), few books compare in elegance to Matri Divinae Gratiae. Below is live recording from our 11:00am Sunday Mass—which is sung by a large group of volunteer singers:

Rehearsal videos for each individual voice:
“Quam Dilecta” • SOPRANO • ALTO • BASS

Here’s the direct URL link.

Si Ambulavero: The following rehearsal videos (for each individual voice) were created by Jeff Ostrowski to help volunteer choirs master these pieces:

Rehearsal videos for each individual voice:
“Si Ambulavero” • SOPRANO • ALTO • BASS

And here’s a live recording by a volunteer choir:

Here’s the direct URL link.

Justorum Animae: The following rehearsal videos (for each individual voice) were created by Jeff Ostrowski to help volunteer choirs master these pieces:

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube
SOPRANO : YouTube
ALTO : YouTube
BASS : YouTube

*  Mp3 Excerpt • “JUSTORUM ANIMAE”
—This comes from “Matri Divinæ Gratiæ,” a collection by composer Kevin Allen.

*  Mp3 Download • “Justórum ánimae” (Live Rec.)
—This comes from “Matri Divinæ Gratiæ,” a collection by composer Kevin Allen.

Memento Verbi:

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube
SOPRANO : YouTube
ALTO : YouTube
BASS : YouTube

This 44-page collection contains:

1. QUAM DILECTA |+ Psalm verses
2. JUSTORUM ANIMAE |+ Psalm verses
3. ERIPE ME |+ Psalm verses
4. SI AMBULAVERO |+ Psalm verses
5. MEMENTO VERBI |+ Psalm verses
6. AUFER A ME + Psalm verses

Supporting The Composer: This collection was commissioned by CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED and published in September of 2016. In accordance with our customs, all proceeds which exceed production costs (printing, shipping, and so forth) go directly to the Catholic artist, who maintains copyright. Therefore, when you purchase these books, you are directly supporting Roman Catholic artists who produce works for the Church. We are a 100% volunteer organization.

Complete Title:   Matri Divinae Gratiae, Opus Mariae Dedicatum

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: 3-Voice Music, Matri Divinae Gratiae, Music for Three Parts, Polyphony For Three Voices, Soprano Alto Bass Choral Last Updated: June 30, 2025

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About Cynthia Ostrowski

Cynthia Ostrowski holds a bachelor's degree (2005) in Geographic Information Science and a minor in Computer Science from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “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
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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

“Many other things most justly keep me in the bosom [of the Catholic Church]. The consent of peoples and nations keeps me in the Church; so does her authority, inaugurated by miracles, nourished by hope, enlarged by love, established by age. The succession of priests keeps me, beginning from the very seat of the Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after His resurrection, gave it in charge to feed His sheep, down to the present episcopate.”

— Saint Augustine (Epistle against Manichaeus)

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