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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

PDF Download • “Pope Pius XII Hymnal” (1959)

Jeff Ostrowski · November 6, 2018

N LATE OCTOBER, the Brébeuf Hymnal was officially sent off to the printer. Within a few weeks, it should be available for purchase. Folks, I’ve got to tell you: this book is a game changer. The world of Catholic music will never be the same after its release. It is a million times more powerful than any of us could have dreamt. Please stay tuned…I have much more to share.

I was recently sent a fascinating hymnal from 1959:

* *  PDF Download • PIUS XII HYMNAL (1959)

The 1959 editors placed a serious emphasis on excellent hymn tunes, similar to what we did in the Brébeuf hymnal. However, they were more bold and daring than the Brébeuf committee. They mixed Advent and Lent tunes with “general” texts in ways that—in my humble opinion—went too far.

In the Brébeuf hymnal, we carefully emphasized the very best, most traditional, most Catholic melodies. We placed them strategically, so they can be used at various times throughout the liturgical year. We realize too many Catholic congregations don’t have in their repertory an abundance of excellent tunes. They must be taught—but this is no easy thing. When it comes to the strategic repetition of hymn tunes, no effort was spared by the editors of the Brébeuf hymnal.

Were you shocked to see the Pius XII Hymnal assigning vernacular hymns to different parts of the Mass? This was common at Low Mass in those days. Indeed, I own numerous Catholic hymnals (from the 1940s and 1950s) which promote the same exact same thing. 1

“During a Low Mass there is usually time for four hymns—one from the beginning of Mass up to or through the Gospel, but certainly to be finished by or before the end of the Gospel, so as not to interfere with or delay the making of announcements or the preaching of the sermon. A second hymn can be started at the Credo; another after the Elevation, and the last one during Communion, to end with the last Gospel for the prayers after Mass.”
—Caecilia Magazine of Catholic Church Music, 64:4 (1937)


This was not just done in America. Look at this example from a 1913 hymnal by Fr. Gregory Ould, OSB.


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Customs such as this helped pave the way for the liturgical reforms of the 1960s. Vatican II wanted to have Catholics “sing the Mass” instead of “singing at Mass.” Unfortunately, things got even worse after the Council—and we’ve reached a point where nobody has a clue what it means to “sing the Mass.” There is much work to be done…

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Affordable Hymnal for Catholic Parishes, Jean de Brebeuf Hymnal, Low Mass Vernacular Hymns, Pope Pius XII Hymnal 1959 Last Updated: November 2, 2021

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    “Corn” From Heaven?
    The Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures was produced by Roman Catholics in England and bears an IMPRIMATUR dated 15 March 1958 by the Archbishop of Westminster. Its IMPRIMI POTEST was given by the director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Sometimes the words chosen by translators can sound funny to American ears. For instance, one of our Responsorial Psalms has as its refrain: “The Lord gave them bread from heaven.” But the British version has “The Lord gave them corn from heaven.” Feel free to examine this with your own eyes. (It comes from Psalm 77.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

“If the right is given to African tribes to include their pagan traditions in the liturgy, I think the same should also be given to the rite of a thousand year-old Christian Church, based on a much older Roman tradition.”

— Professor László Dobszay

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