Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Jeff Ostrowski · April 9, 2015

First Look Images! • “Proper Of The Mass” By Fr. Samuel F. Weber

This 1,292 page book is much thinner than I had anticipated.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 8, 2015

Fascinating Videos From 1958 • Mass Sung In English!

A “Dialogue” Low Mass with singing (c. 1958) by choristers of St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 7, 2015

It Has Arrived! • “Proper of the Mass” (Ignatius)

You will notice that Fr. Weber’s version sounds quite similar to the authentic Latin chant.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 7, 2015

Photographs • FSSP Holy Triduum in Los Angeles (2015)

Notice how the priest, dressed in cope, is engulfed in darkness at the beginning of the Easter Vigil—except for candles burning.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 6, 2015

Can You Love Liturgy Too Much?

Should we assume malice on the part of those who denigrate the Traditional Mass?

Jeff Ostrowski · April 6, 2015

Jaw-Dropping Liturgical Manuscripts (7,055 Pages)

Catholics can now *see with their own eyes* the antiquity of our liturgy.

Fr. David Friel · April 5, 2015

All Nine Readings

Celebrating the Easter Vigil in Its Fullness

Jeff Ostrowski · April 4, 2015

Rough PDF • Rubrics & Music, Holy Saturday (1962)

I don’t usually release “rough cut” PDF files, but this one is so valuable…

Corpus Christi Watershed · April 4, 2015

Foyle’s War • Best Clips

Foyle’s War excerpts

Jeff Ostrowski · April 4, 2015

PDF Download: Organ Accompaniment to “Et Valde Mane” • 1955 Easter Vigil

A thing desired by many!

Jeff Ostrowski · April 3, 2015

Rubrics • Good Friday (Pius XII Holy Week Revisions)

Even Solesmes makes errors from time to time.

Richard J. Clark · April 3, 2015

“O Sacred Head Surrounded” | Buxtehude

Dieterich Buxtehude was a direct influence on Johann Sebastian Bach—and for good reason.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 2, 2015

An Essential & Unique Thing For Holy Thursday

…and a look at Holy Thursday from the 1965 Missal.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · April 2, 2015

Sing One Note

When most singers receive a new motet, they focus on the words rather than the music.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 1, 2015

Judas Iscariot & Religious Freedom

Some have criticized Christ for making Judas part of his special group of friends.

‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase

Father Adrian Porter, using the cracher dans la soupe example, did a praiseworthy job explaining the difference between ‘dynamic’ and ‘formal’ translation. This is something Monsignor Ronald Knox explained time and again—yet even now certain parties feign ignorance. I suppose there will always be people who pretend the only ‘valid’ translation of Mitigásti omnem iram tuam; avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuæ… would be “You mitigated all ire of you; you have averted from your indignation’s ire.” Those who would defend such a translation suffer from an unfortunate malady. One of my professors called it “cognate on the brain.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Father Cuthbert Lattey • “The Hebrew MSS”

Father Cuthbert Lattey (d. 1954) wrote: “In a large number of cases the ancient Christian versions and some other ancient sources seem to have been based upon a better Hebrew text than that adopted by the rabbis for official use and alone suffered to survive. Sometimes, too, the cognate languages suggest a suitable meaning for which there is little or no support in the comparatively small amount of ancient Hebrew that has survived. The evidence of the metre is also at times so clear as of itself to furnish a strong argument; often it is confirmed by some other considerations. […] The Jewish copyists and their directors, however, seem to have lost the tradition of the metre at an early date, and the meticulous care of the rabbis in preserving their own official and traditional text (the ‘massoretic’ text) came too late, when the mischief had already been done.” • Msgr. Knox adds: “It seems the safest principle to follow the Latin—after all, St. Jerome will sometimes have had a better text than the Massoretes—except on the rare occasions when there is no sense to be extracted from the Vulgate at all.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Music List” • 9 Nov. (Dedic. Lateran)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 9 November 2025, which is the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. 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 sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Our Father” • Musical Setting?

Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?

—Jeff Ostrowski