Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Fr. David Friel · September 4, 2011

Growth in Holiness

The Joy of Shepherds

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Fr. David Friel · August 29, 2011

Masculine Spirituality

Losing Our Heads

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Fr. David Friel · August 21, 2011

Peter Lives On

Pointing to the Truth

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Fr. David Friel · August 12, 2011

Seeking the Face of God

We Have to Hear before We See

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Fr. David Friel · August 5, 2011

The Work of God & the Work of Man

On Priestly Zeal

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Fr. David Friel · July 26, 2011

The Experience of Ordination

What was I thinking?

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Jeff Ostrowski · May 25, 2011

Modern Sacred Music

QUESTION: Are there any composers alive today writing truly great Sacred music?

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 17, 2011

Proof Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt

Whenever you learn a new word, you will see it within 24 hours.

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Jeff Ostrowski · December 9, 2010

Voice Leading Matters

All men are created equal, but what about accompaniments for Gregorian chant?

To access this post, you must purchase Monthly Subscription or Yearly Subscription.

Shortest Psalm In The Bible

The shortest chapter in the whole Bible—as well as the shortest psalm—is PSALM 116 (“Laudáte Dóminum ómnes géntes”), which consists of just two verses. German-speaking Catholics did something really splendid (PDF) with PSALM 116. I was alerted to this many years ago by none other than Monsignor Robert Alexander Skeris. Click here to download—from different Catholic hymn books—ten (10) different harmonizations for this fabulous hymn.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Oldest Latin Eucharistic Hymn

The Church’s oldest Latin Eucharistic hymn is featured in the Brébeuf Hymnal. Indeed, the legendary Father Adrian Fortescue made a translation of it—matching the original’s meter—which was elevated by the Brébeuf team. For years, we’ve been working on a Spanish hymnal: “Cantoral del Padre Antonio Daniel.” The progress has been slow but steady, and we encourage anyone fluent in Spanish to consider joining the proofreading team. A few days ago, my wife helped me record a rehearsal video for this Spanish version of the Church’s oldest Latin Eucharistic hymn.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Rare Plainsong Accompaniments

Our contributor, Veronica Brandt, went deep into Australia to take photographs of organ accompaniments for Gregorian Chant. Some consider these peculiar PLAINSONG ACCOMPANIMENTS—with 3-part harmonies by Barcelona Cathedral organist, Father Josep Muset i Ferrer—to be the rarest in the world. Click here to learn more. Thanks Veronica! 😊

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reader Feedback” • 22 June 2026

A reader wrote to us from Virginia: “I really appreciate the 23 harmonizations that you posted on CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED for the Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary hymn. I hope to find willing voices in our small Schola Cantorum to try the three-voice version. Carry on, sir! You’re doing the Lord’s work.” While we don’t know this gentleman personally, we note that he earned a Ph.D. (which demonstrates that our blog has something for everybody). 😊

—Corpus Christi Watershed

Time and Again We Are Asked…

John Baptist Singenberger (d. 1924) was a central figure of Catholic Church music. In this utterly fascinating excerpt (Single-Page PDF), Singenberger writes: Time and again we are asked: “Is the Gregorian chant to be accompanied by the organ?” As a young student in Saint Gall, Singenberger befriended SEBASTIAN GEBHARD MESSMER, the future Archbishop of Milwaukee (Wisconsin). The two graduated together in 1861. The school they attended (Saint George’s Seminary) was a “seminary”—but in the older European sense. In other words, it provided a classical education without necessarily leading to ordination. Singenberger remained a layman his whole life, but Messmer was eventually made archbishop—by Pope Saint Pius X—of the very archdiocese in Wisconsin where Singenberger would spend his American career, giving him a powerful ecclesiastical ally.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of June (2026)

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). Since we were founded in 2006, not one of our board members has ever accepted any remuneration whatsoever—not a penny. 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. It couldn’t be easier to subscribe! Just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski