Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Jeff Ostrowski · May 28, 2013

Disney’s “That Darn Cat,” Life Teen Masses, and More

“Music has the capability of evoking a place and a context.” — Dr. William Mahrt of Stanford

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2013

Mass In Honor of St. Ralph Sherwin • Practice Videos

ICEL, New Translation, Roman Missal, Third Edition, 3rd, Mass, Catholic, English,

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2013

St. Anne Line • Practice Videos

ICEL, New Translation, Roman Missal, Third Edition, 3rd, Mass, Catholic, English,

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2013

St. Edmund Arrowsmith • Practice Videos

ICEL, New Translation, Roman Missal, Third Edition, 3rd, Mass, Catholic, English,

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2013

St. Bernadette Mass Setting • Audio Files

ICEL, New Translation, Roman Missal, Third Edition, 3rd, Mass, Catholic, English,

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2013

Saint Theodore • Practice Videos

ICEL, New Translation, Roman Missal, Third Edition, 3rd, Mass, Catholic, English,

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2013

Mass of the Prophets and Martyrs • Audio Files

Mass of the Prophets and Martyrs

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2013

St. Edmund Jennings • Practice Videos

ICEL, New Translation, Roman Missal, Third Edition, 3rd, Mass, Catholic, English,

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 28, 2013

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Corpus Christi Watershed · May 27, 2013

Sung Propers: Various Simple Settings In English

Here’s a comparison of several complete musical settings of the Mass Propers by Fr. Guy Nicholls, Fr. Paul Arbogast, and others.

Jeff Ostrowski · May 27, 2013

Failure, The Liturgy, & Today’s Mr. Know-It-All

The priest who rejected my submission was very professional, polite, and encouraging.

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 27, 2013

How To Chant The Readings At Mass

Instructions for deacons learning to sing the Gospel during the Catholic Mass.

Fr. David Friel · May 26, 2013

“Father, Not Everyone Can Sing”

How to Respond

Jeff Ostrowski · May 26, 2013

Sibelius 7 • Get Rid Of Multi Rests!

“How can I get rid of those stupid multirests in Sibelius?”

Jeff Ostrowski · May 25, 2013

Fulton Sheen & The Holy Eucharist

Sheen’s book “Life of Christ” is such a treasure.

Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!

A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!

—Jeff Ostrowski

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