Views from the Choir Loft

congregational singing

Fourth-Century Advice for Choir Directors

Fr. David Friel · February 2, 2019 ·

A passage from Nicetas of Remesiana remains eminently applicable today.

Let This Holy Building Shake with Joy!

Richard J. Clark · April 10, 2015 ·

Sometimes everything comes together. How is this achieved? Here are a few ways.

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(1 of 7)

Richard J. Clark · February 20, 2015 ·

“Tacit approval” alone isn’t getting the job done. It is abdicating authority to composers and publishers, pastors and liturgists.

Easy Organ Hymns for Catholics

Veronica Brandt · January 3, 2015 ·

There is a built in tendency for nervous musicians to rush things – I think as your heart beats faster, your perception of time is dilated. As you build more confidence your sense of timing improves too.

Basic Steps To Improve Music At Your Parish — Part 3

Richard J. Clark · July 18, 2014 ·

Turn off the microphones. This can be a challenge when many parishes and even some cathedrals are enamored of carpeting – to say nothing of seat cushions!

Mass in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea

Richard J. Clark · May 30, 2014 ·

Michael Olbash’s “Mass in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea” demonstrates the mandate of Pope Saint Pius X that music for the liturgy be Sacred, Beautiful, and Universal.

Mass In Honor Of Saint Isaac Jogues

Corpus Christi Watershed · May 19, 2014 ·

Using the New Translation of the Roman Missal.

Mass in Honor of Pope Saint John Paul II

Richard J. Clark · April 27, 2014 ·

FREE DOWNLOAD of the complete score AND recordings.

PREVIEW – Mass in Honor of Pope Saint John Paul II

Richard J. Clark · April 25, 2014 ·

Preview of the “Mass in Honor of Pope Saint John Paul II” Listen to the Gloria!

Mass of the Angels | Congregational Mass Setting in English

Richard J. Clark · April 11, 2014 ·

“My opinion is that this is one of the best congregational settings of the new texts.” — Adam Wood

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