Views from the Choir Loft

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Jeff Ostrowski · April 13, 2025

PDF Download • “Easter Sunday Introit”

In accordance with the official edition.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 12, 2025

“Music List” • Holy Thursday

Readers have expressed interest in examining the “music list” I prepared for Maundy Thursday.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 11, 2025

PDF Download • “Communion” (Holy Thursday)

Its verses are quite beautiful.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 10, 2025

“Ubi Caritas” • Knox Translation (1950s)

What a treasure!

Jeff Ostrowski · April 10, 2025

“Music List” • Palm Sunday

Readers have expressed interest in examining the “music list” I prepared for this coming Sunday.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 9, 2025

PDF Download • “Offertory” (Palm Sunday)

Some believe that “joyful” texts sound happy in Gregorian Chant and “sad” texts sound mournful.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 8, 2025

“And the Chief Priests…” (Palm Sunday)

“And the chief priests made a plot against Lazarus’ life too…”

Jeff Ostrowski · April 5, 2025

“Music List” • 5th Sunday of Lent

Readers have expressed interest in examining the “music list” I prepared for this coming Sunday.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 5, 2025

Best-Kept “Secret” of Church Music?

Some have called it that.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 4, 2025

“Entrance Chant” • 5th Sunday of Lent

The Latin words are rendered so beautifully by Monsignor Knox.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 3, 2025

Cool Symbolism

That’s pretty awesome!

Jeff Ostrowski · March 31, 2025

Regarding “Pay-To-Pray” + Lectionary Errors

Many decisions, even those with monumental consequences, were made in secret.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 31, 2025

The “Secret” Prayer

“…and work upon us until we too become an eternal offering to thee…”

Jeff Ostrowski · March 29, 2025

“Music List” • 4th Sunday of Lent

Readers have expressed interest in examining the “music list” I prepared for this coming Sunday.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 29, 2025

PDF Download • “Gloria III” Organ Accompaniment

This is surely one of music history’s great ironies!

“Simplified” Keyboard Accompaniment (PDF)

I’d much rather hear an organist play a simplified version correctly than listen to wrong notes. I invite you to download this simplified organ accompaniment for hymn #729 in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal. The hymn is “O Jesus Christ, Remember.” I’m toying with the idea of creating a whole bunch of these, to help amateur organists. The last one I uploaded was downloaded more than 1,900 times in a matter of hours—so there seems to be interest in such a project. For the record, this famous text by Oratorian priest, Father Edward Caswall (d. 1878) is often married to AURELIA, as it is in the Brébeuf Hymnal.

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘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

“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

To end an impropriety, noticed particularly at orchestral Vespers, when two or three Psalms are sung with full orchestra, and then the other Psalms and the Hymn are rapidly hurried through with organ accompaniment only […] we order that at Mass all portions of the text, including “Agnus Dei,” be sung with orchestral accompaniment. […] Moreover, the musicians are not allowed to put the instruments away and leave their places before the conclusion of the sacred function.

— Cardinal Patrizi (18 November 1856)