Views from the Choir Loft

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Litany of St Joseph

Veronica Brandt · January 28, 2020 ·

The Litany of St Joseph in Latin chant with an English translation.

PDF Download • “Lucis Creator Optime” (Vespers Hymn)

Jeff Ostrowski · January 21, 2020 ·

I followed the “Brébeuf hymnal method,” in which every verse is written out…

PDF Accompaniment • “Jesu Redemptor Omnium”

Jeff Ostrowski · December 30, 2019 ·

You can compare my accompaniment to that of Achille P. Bragers.

PDF • “Veni Veni Emmanuel” (2 Voices + Organ)

Jeff Ostrowski · December 10, 2019 ·

Download this PDF score—free to all—and sing during Advent!

PDF Download • “Erunt Signa In Sole” (Advent)

Andrea Leal · November 21, 2019 ·

“One of the challenges of a small choir is having enough singers to pull off any kind of polyphony. ” —Andrea Leal

PDF Download • A Eucharistic Piece My Choir Loves

Jeff Ostrowski · November 8, 2019 ·

Including a “preview” of the forthcoming Brébeuf Hymnal SATB Choral Supplement.

PDF Download • Palestrina Kyrie (Part 2 of 3)

Jeff Ostrowski · October 19, 2019 ·

“Dazzlingly luscious” is probably best way to describe this Mass.

PDF Download • SATB “Sanctus” by Orlando de Lassus

Jeff Ostrowski · October 7, 2019 ·

We have completed part 1. When part 2 is finished, we’ll release that, as well.

PDF Download • Palestrina Kyrie “Fons Bonitatis”

Jeff Ostrowski · September 20, 2019 ·

This is part 1 of 3 — and the other parts will be released soon.

PDF Download • “Alleluia Choral Extension” (EF + OF)

Jeff Ostrowski · September 10, 2019 ·

This may look simple on paper, but it sounds *incredible* when sung by a full choir. Guerrero rocks!

Could Pope St. Pius X Sing?

“On 12 March 1908, the complete publication of the Roman Gradual was issued by the Vatican Press. On that very day, Dom Pothier solemnly presented the first copy to the Holy Father. A witness of the audience says that Pius X wished to be the first to see the new book; he opened it at random, at page 128 of the supplement pro aliquibus locis—it was the Introit of the new Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Pope sang it with perfect taste to the last note.” (Catholic Choirmaster, February 1915)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Julius Bas Accompaniment

A very prolific harmonizer of Gregorian chant in the early 20th century was Mr. Julius Bas. He often uses a very strange technique, wherein he employs rests to eliminate the Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices. Consider what he did with “Lumen ad revelationem” here:

* JPEG • Lumen ad revelationem

It seems quite lazy, and I’ve never seen anyone else use such a technique, although Dr. Peter Wagner often switched to parallel octaves when he ran out of ideas… (Yuck!)

—Jeff Ostrowski

Hitting wrong notes

Fr. Valentine Young, OFM, used to say: “The organist can play 1,000 correct notes and one wrong note—and the only thing people will care about is the wrong note.” Last Sunday I hit some wrong notes, and felt bad. Then I remembered a story about Rudolf Serkin and started to chuckle. Charles Rosen (or was it Leon Fleisher?) told the story of Serkin playing a Beethoven Sonata in front of a large audience. The theme is all in octaves; but Serkin hit some wrong notes, and played parallel 7ths instead. This so unnerved him that every time the theme returned, he played the entire thing in parallel 7ths! We must remember that even the greatest hit wrong notes. Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, Sviatoslav Richter, Egon Petri—they all hit wrong notes, which we can hear on recordings. (Josef Hofmann was an exception, but he was super-human so he doesn’t count!)

—Jeff Ostrowski