Views from the Choir Loft

Contemporary Sacred Music

Fr. David Friel · July 24, 2022

Free Folio of New Sacred Music for Parish Liturgies

A gift from The Catholic Sacred Music Project and the Benedict XVI Institute

Fr. David Friel · May 9, 2021

Virtual Sacred Music Colloquium 2021

Alongside many familiar faces, several new presenters are joining the faculty this year.

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Fr. David Friel · December 16, 2019

Liturgica • Interview with Chris Mueller on the Release of New CD

Mueller discusses his recently released recording of original compositions and Renaissance masterworks.

Fr. David Friel · October 24, 2019

“Mass of the Americas” • Solemn Pontifical High Mass in DC

Archbishop Cordileone will offer Mass November 16, 2019 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Jeff Ostrowski · September 15, 2017

“O Sanctissima” • SATB Contemporary Setting!

I bet you haven’t heard this arrangement!

Jeff Ostrowski · November 22, 2016

Resplendent Christmas Piece for Two Voices!

This gem by Fr. Nicolas du Peron (d. 1963) incorporates Christmas carols in a most ingenious way.

Jeff Ostrowski · July 6, 2016

Sensational Hymn for St. Joseph … with Modern Polyphony!

We’ll be singing this piece a lot because our priest has a special devotion to St. Joseph.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 5, 2016

“Ave Maris Stella” • Take II

Have you ever changed your mind with regard to tempo?

Jeff Ostrowski · January 14, 2016

Staggering Canonic Setting • “Gloria” from Mass III

By the French Roman Catholic composer, Raphaël Mercier (d. 1953).

Jeff Ostrowski · October 30, 2015

“Te Saeculorum” • Simple, Sensational, SATB

Were you aware of this amazing piece by Raphaël Mercier?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 7, 2015

Short, Fresh, & Beautiful • SATB “Ave Maris Stella”

This piece by Fr. Antonin Lhoumeau will knock your socks off!

“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