Views from the Choir Loft

“Pope Francis Hymn Book” … (Published 2014)

Corpus Christi Watershed · July 10, 2014

Important Update: In 2018, the Brébeuf hymnal was published:

* Brébeuf Hymnal • “What Experts Are Saying”
(Testimonials from authorities on Sacred Music.)

The Brébeuf hymnal is sold by SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS.

The blog of the Church Music Association of America in 2019 said the Brébeuf hymnal is “hands down, the best Catholic hymnal ever to be published. […] Its copious selection of hundreds of tunes and texts, including favorites, forgotten gems, and new commissions, all beautifully formatted and presented in a surprisingly compact hardcover volume, is not only unparalleled by any other current hymnal, but well exceeds that of any hymnal I have seen from any period. […] It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”

HE POPE FRANCIS HYMN BOOK consists of every hymn found in the Vatican II Hymnal, plus an additional forty-five (45) new hymns. Also included are nineteen (19) Gregorian Masses and six Creeds.

* * Sample Pages, Hymn Listing, & Preface (PDF)

Pope Francis Hymnal

Purchase the Pope Francis Hymn Book:

PEW EDITION: Softcover (White Pages) — $9.50

PEW EDITION: Softcover (Cream Pages) — $9.50

ORGAN EDITION : Spiral Bound (368 pages) — $28.95

6042 Catholic Book Replace Missalette H

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Hymn Lyrics Which Don’t Fit

If we grow up singing hymns, we’re incapable of judging them—because we’re “too close” to them. People who know and love “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide” probably never realized the first word is one of the most egregious examples of incorrect accentuation. (The correct accent for “abide” is on the second syllable, not the first.) Similarly, when “O God, our help in ages past” is sung to SAINT ANNE, the word “under” should be replaced with “beneath”—otherwise the accentuation is incorrect. Another egregious example would be “Come Holy Ghost” (sung to LAMBILLOTTE), which incorrectly accents the final syllable of the word Comforter (“O Comforter, to Thee we cry…”).

—Jeff Ostrowski

12 July 2021 • FEEDBACK

A reader from Chicago writes: “Your work is exemplary, and these past 15 months have put into clear focus for me just how important Corpus Christi Watershed is as an evangelizing voice in the Church. During this pandemic, we have moved away from the ‘big publisher’ psalters, employing nearly exclusively your settings, which (in my opinion) are melodically appealing and perfectly embody the essence of ‘sacred music’—evoking chant, but looking forward to the future. Bravo, composers! We are pleased to have been able to contribute a small gift toward the vast amount of CCW music we have used in the past 16 months. Your site is professional, and your content is excellent. Moving from hymnody to propers during the pandemic was a revelation.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

PT Barnum, Henri Herz, + 1,000 candles

In the annals of pianism, there were some fakers: Vladimir de Pachmann, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Leopold de Meyer, and Henri Herz. A hilarious story is told by Harold C. Schonberg about Henri Herz, his manager (Bernard Ullman), and 1,000 candles. I think you will enjoy reading it.

—Jeff Ostrowski