Views from the Choir Loft

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Jeff Ostrowski · March 6, 2026

Music List • (3rd Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in examining my “music list” for this coming Sunday.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 5, 2026

“Samaritánæ” (3rd Sunday of Lent)

The “Ordo Cantus Missae” introduces not only…

Jeff Ostrowski · March 5, 2026

Grotesque Pairing • “Passion Chorale”

Were you shocked to see the Pius XII Hymnal (1959) assigning vernacular hymns to different parts of the Mass?

Jeff Ostrowski · March 3, 2026

PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)

A wonderful option for smaller choirs.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 3, 2026

PDF • “Cantus Mariales” (192 pages)

This gorgeous PDF scan is being offered completely free of charge

Andrea Leal · March 2, 2026

PDF Download • Fourteen (14) Versions of the Splendid Hymn: “Salve Mater Misericordiae”

My favorite Gregorian hymn for Lent!

Jeff Ostrowski · February 27, 2026

Music List • (2nd Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in examining my “music list” for this coming Sunday.

Jeff Ostrowski · February 27, 2026

PDF Download • “Funerals in the Ordinary Form”

Many have requested the following document (which governs any funerals at my parish).

Corpus Christi Watershed · February 27, 2026

Extreme Unction

Gorgeous depiction of this Sacrament found in an ancient manuscript.

Jeff Ostrowski · February 27, 2026

Like! Like! Like!

You’ll never guess who gave us a “like” on Facebook!

Jeff Ostrowski · February 26, 2026

Which Mass?

“Qualislibet cantus hujus Ordinarii superius in una Missa positus…”

Jeff Ostrowski · February 24, 2026

PDF Download • “Pange Lingua” in Simple (Contemporary) Polyphony for Three Voices

This arrangement of the “Pange Lingua” (which contains the famous “Tantum Ergo” verse) works quite well.

Jeff Ostrowski · February 23, 2026

PDF Download • “Gregorian Chant Booklet” mailed by Pope Saint Paul VI to every bishop

Father McManus makes no exception for hearing-impaired or deaf Catholics; his decree is absolute.

Jeff Ostrowski · February 19, 2026

PDF Download • “Atténde Dómine”

“Atténde Dómine” in Spanish, English, and Latin.

Corpus Christi Watershed · February 18, 2026

(Ash Wednesday) • Medieval Illumination Depicting the Distribution of Ashes

Discovered by those who edited the third edition of the Campion Missal.

Music List • (3rd Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 3rd Sunday of Lent (8 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its stern INTROIT (“Óculi mei semper ad Dóminum”) is breathtaking, and the COMMUNION (“Qui bíberit aquam”) with its fauxbourdon verses is wonderful. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Samaritánæ” (3rd Sunday of Lent)

With regard to the COMMUNION for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year A), the Ordo Cantus Missae—which was published in 1969 by the Vatican, bearing Hannibal Bugnini’s signature and approbation in its PREFACE—inexplicably introduced a variant melody and slightly different words, as you can see by this comparison chart. When it comes to such items, they’re always done in secrecy by unnamed people. (Although it is known that Dom Eugène Cardine collaborated in the creation of the GRADUALE SIMPLEX, a book considered by some to be a travesty.)

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)

I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Grotesque Pairing • “Passion Chorale”

One of our rarest releases was undoubtably this PDF scan of the complete Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) by Father Joseph Roff, a student of Healey Willan. One of the scarcest titles in existence, this book was provided to us by Mr. Peter Meggison. Back in 2018, we scanned each page and uploaded it to our website, making it freely available to everyone. Readers are probably sick of hearing me say this, but just because we upload something that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wonderful or worthy of imitation. We upload many publications precisely because they are ‘grotesque’, interesting, or revealing. Whereas the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal had an editorial board that was careful and sensitive vis-à-vis pairing texts with tunes, the Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) seems to have been rather reckless in this regard. Please take a look at what they did with the PASSION CHORALE and see whether you agree.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Extreme Unction

Those who search Google for “CCCC MS 079” will discover high resolution images of a medieval Pontificale (“Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 079”). One of the pages contains this absolutely gorgeous depiction of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”

I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”

—Jeff Ostrowski