Cappa Magna Liturgical Vestment

Ludwig Passini: “Canons in the Church of St. Peter”

Jeff Ostrowski · January 11, 2016 ·

Their garments resemble the “winter” cappa magna.

1951 Solemn Pontifical Field Mass • With 100-Voice “Palestrina Cathedral Choir”

Jeff Ostrowski · July 14, 2015 ·

Following the Mass, Archbishop Joseph H. Schlarman was made an honorary Indian chief.

Sacra Liturgia 2015 — Update IV

Fr. David Friel · June 4, 2015 ·

“To refer to the priest as ‘presider’ surely does damage to his priestly identity.” — Rev. Richard Cipolla

Rare Video • Karol Cardinal Wojtyła In Cappa Magna

Jeff Ostrowski · March 16, 2015 ·

Extraordinary footage of Pope St. John Paul II wearing the Cappa Magna.

A Photograph “Progressive” Liturgists Cannot Abide

Jeff Ostrowski · November 18, 2014 ·

Pope Paul VI wearing the Cappa Magna.

Pope John Paul II Wearing The Cappa Magna (As Cardinal Wojtyla)

Jeff Ostrowski · August 25, 2014 ·

The most marvelous uniform I’ve seen was the one worn by Prince Charles when he married Diana.

What did Pope John Paul II think of the Cappa Magna?

Jeff Ostrowski · March 24, 2014 ·

The cappa magna has a five-meter-long train. Pius XII shortened it to 3 meters, but it’s said that John XXIII restored the ordinary length.

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