Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Corpus Christi Watershed · January 21, 2013

Homiletic & Pastoral Review: Article by Fr. Friel

As I prayed these prayers from the new missal for the first time on January 3, 2012, I was struck nearly dumb . . .

Jeff Ostrowski · January 20, 2013

Babies, Toddlers, And The Sacred Liturgy

I can only imagine what would happen if I brought home a friend home without preparation or planning.

Fr. David Friel · January 20, 2013

The Mass

Miracle or Magic?

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · January 17, 2013

In every age, the challenge is the same

A Bible passage that has always struck me very forcefully . . .

Richard J. Clark · January 17, 2013

St. Cecilia, Pray for Us

Why do we so intensely hand over our lives to the Church without fully realizing it until it is much too late?

Veronica Brandt · January 16, 2013

Biography • Veronica Brandt

Veronica has published a wide variety of Catholic publications . . .

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · January 15, 2013

Biography • Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Alfred holds a doctorate in choral conducting from Indiana University…

Corpus Christi Watershed · January 15, 2013

John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music

The Newsletter for January 2013 and questionnaire.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 14, 2013

Reflections On Playing The Piano At Church

Reflections on whether the piano ought be used at the Catholic Mass.

Richard J. Clark · January 14, 2013

Biography • Richard J. Clark

Richard serves as Music Director and Organist at Holy Cross Cathedral . . .

Jeff Ostrowski · January 13, 2013

The Need For Beauty In the Church

Artistic works often look “natural and easy” but their creation might have been by “blood, sweat, and tears.”

Cynthia Ostrowski · January 12, 2013

Catholic Line Art, Black and White • Installment #02

I will be releasing hundreds of these pictures for general use by Catholics everywhere.

Aristotle A. Esguerra · January 12, 2013

Aristotle A. Esguerra

Aristotle has served since 2009 as music director of two churches . . .

Wilfrid Jones · January 11, 2013

Biography • Wilfrid Jones

Wilfrid Jones went on to a choral scholarship at New College, Oxford, where he read music before completing masters degrees in theology at the University of Birmingham and in education at the University of Cambridge…

Fr. David Friel · January 10, 2013

Biography • Father David M. Friel

Father Friel was ordained to the Catholic Priesthood in May 2011 . . .

‘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