Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Jeff Ostrowski · November 4, 2014

Fr. Christopher Smith Weighs In

“Why am I excited? Well, every year we spend about $4,000 on those paperback missalettes…”

Jeff Ostrowski · November 3, 2014

The Most Disturbing Change To The 1962 Missal

We’re not as smart as we’d thought … and our forefathers weren’t as dumb as we’d assumed.

Fr. David Friel · November 2, 2014

Wakes in Church & Funerals at the Parlor

A Dramatic Reversal

Jeff Ostrowski · November 2, 2014

Announcement: Solemn High Requiem In Los Angeles On Monday

Traditional Latin Mass at a cemetery in Los Angeles: TOMORROW.

fsspla · November 2, 2014

FSSP Los Angeles • What Is The Table?

This beautiful video explains a “safe place” for Catholics in Los Angeles.

Veronica Brandt · November 1, 2014

All Saints celebrations

An All Saints Day party with a major digression on Halloween and All Souls Day.

fsspla · October 31, 2014

FSSP.la Polyphonic Choir

If you can sing in tune, I need your help! Please don’t worry if you cannot read music.

Richard J. Clark · October 31, 2014

All Souls — gave hope to me, too.

Do not miss the opportunities of All Souls Day, especially as it falls on a Sunday.

Jeff Ostrowski · October 30, 2014

Bach Mass In B Minor • Robert Shaw, 1947

Download these magnificent mp3 recordings as soon as you can!

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · October 30, 2014

Music Never Lies

Every piece of music, great or small, contains an indefinable message of the soul, penetrating, communicative, formative.

Jeff Ostrowski · October 29, 2014

Sanctus/Benedictus: Should It Be Divided At Mass?

OCP recently sent me a free Spanish/English book attempting to revive this custom.

Guest Author · October 29, 2014

True Devotion to Jesus

You will definitely want to read the quotes from Paul VI about reception of Communion in the hand.

Jeff Ostrowski · October 28, 2014

Look What God Did For You!

Dr. Mahrt has explained that polyphony’s order “shows forth the splendor of the universe.”

Jeff Ostrowski · October 28, 2014

Full Text: Cardinal Pell Sermon • 24 October 2014

“We Catholics have strange beliefs…” —George Cardinal Pell

Jeff Ostrowski · October 27, 2014

The Secret Way The Latin Mass Has Won

A recent blog by Liturgical Press is titled “Growing Up Racist and Misogynist and Catholic.”

“Reminder” — Month of May (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

“Music List” • 3rd Sunday of Easter (Year C)

Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 3rd Sunday of Easter (4 May 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Communion (3rd Sunday of Easter)

You can download the COMMUNION ANTIPHON (PDF score) for the 3rd Sunday of Easter (Year C). The piece is sung by either all men or all women. Those on the top rehearse with the Top Video. Those assigned to the middle use the Middle Video. Those who sing the bottom line use the Bottom Video. (Needless to say, the Latin version can also be sung.) A rather undesirable thing which took place after Vatican II—although not everywhere—was a “de-emphasis” or “neglect” of the Bible. In the pre-conciliar liturgy, the propers were proclaimed at every Mass, but these days many Catholics are clueless about the propers! Approximately 97% of the propers come directly from Sacred Scripture, as the COMMUNION ANTIPHON above demonstrates. You can hear a rehearsal video by clicking here.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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

When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962

There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop

—Veronica Brandt

The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum

Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.

—Daniel Tucker