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Views from the Choir Loft

Archbishop Alexander K Sample

Fr. David Friel · March 10, 2019

Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast

Dedicated to exploring the teaching and vision of the Church on the topic of liturgical music

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Richard J. Clark · January 25, 2019

Just Released! • 2019 Pastoral Letter on Sacred Music (Archbishop Sample)

“Every pastor and music director has a serious responsibility to read and become familiar with the ‘Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy…” —Archbishop Sample

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Fr. David Friel · November 18, 2018

Portland Publishes an “Archdiocesan Liturgical Handbook”

New publication from Archbishop Sample’s Office of Divine Worship

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Jeff Ostrowski · April 29, 2018

Yesterday’s Solemn Mass Was An Inflection Point

Consider three (3) clerics who took part in this Solemn Mass at the National Shrine

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Andrew Leung · September 28, 2017

Video • All Priests Should Learn Traditional Latin Mass

An interview with Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon.

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Fr. David Friel · April 12, 2015

Sacra Liturgia USA 2015

An International Conference on Liturgical Formation in Light of the New Evangelization

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Gwyneth Holston · June 23, 2014

Archbishop Sample’s Letter On Sacred Music (8 of 8)

Eagerly awaiting a Pastoral Letter on Sacred Art in Divine Worship.

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Follow the Discussion on Facebook

Fr. David Friel · June 22, 2014

Archbishop Sample’s Letter On Sacred Music (7 of 8)

May the Archbishop’s reflections & exhortations bear fruit in practical renewal!

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Richard J. Clark · June 20, 2014

Archbishop Sample’s Letter on Sacred Music (5 of 8)

The biggest problem in Roman Catholic liturgical music is the prevailing misunderstanding of its very purpose.

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Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · June 19, 2014

Archbishop Sample’s Letter On Sacred Music (4 of 8)

“Everything in God’s good creation is hierarchically ordered, and the virtue of each part is to belong to the whole in the right way…”

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Andrew R. Motyka · June 18, 2014

Archbishop Sample’s Letter On Sacred Music (3 of 8)

We need to avoid profanity “not only in itself, but in the manner in which it is presented by those who execute it.”

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Aurelio Porfiri · June 17, 2014

Archbishop Sample’s Letter On Sacred Music (2 of 8)

Most bishops will talk about everything from global warming to the latest cure for cholesterol, but they leave the issue of liturgical music to priests who think that saving people means dying with them…

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Jeff Ostrowski · June 16, 2014

Archbishop Sample’s Letter On Sacred Music (1 of 8)

We’ve teamed up to create an 8-part series on Archbishop Sample’s momentous 2013 letter. Today, Jeff Ostrowski introduces the series.

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Corpus Christi Watershed · June 8, 2013

Alexander K. Sample, Archbishop of Portland

“The GLORIA of the Mass set to a Polka beat or in the style of rock music is not sacred music.” — Most Reverend Alexander Sample, Archbishop of Portland

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Aristotle A. Esguerra · February 18, 2013

First Impressions of Bishop Sample’s Pastoral Letter on Sacred Music

A bishop issues diocesan-wide directives on the role of music in the liturgy. A look at some of the more noteworthy instructions.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Music List • (15th Sund. Ordinary Time)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), which is 12 July 2026. Please feel free to download it as a PDF file if that appeals to you. The hymns chosen are some of the most ‘traditional’ I have chosen (and were chosen by our pastor). The ENTRANCE CHANT radiates pure bliss, overflowing with joy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

Quick Thoughts

    ‘Ould’ But Not Good
    Dom Samuel Gregory Ould (note the spelling) was a Benedictine monk at FORT AUGUSTUS ABBEY in Scotland. As musician, organist, and composer, Dom Ould was highly regarded. Moreover, he was considered an authority on Gregorian Chant. But not everything found in an old book—or, in this case, an “Ould” book—is necessarily praiseworthy. Consider this page from Dom Ould’s hymnal. Do you see the rhymes? They offend severely by ABR (“Abuse By Reuse”) and are utterly predictable. In my recent article—Two Ways to Defile a Hymn—I addressed this topic.
    —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

Random Quote

“The training in singing, to sing in a chorus, is not only an exercise of external listening and of the voice; it is also training for interior listening, listening with the heart, an exercise in training for life and for peace.”

— Pope Benedict XVI

Recent Posts

  • “One Nation Under God” • Unapologetically Roman Catholic in the United States of America
  • Organist and Choirmaster (Birmingham Oratory)
  • ‘Ould’ But Not Good
  • PDF Download • Vocal Warm-Up for Choirs — “Harmonized Minor Scale” Exercise
  • “Website Subscriptions” • (Update: 30 June 2026)

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