Views from the Choir Loft

GIA Worship IV Hymnal

Andrea Leal · January 13, 2023

New Lectionary for the USA • Coming in 2028?

“Work hasn’t even begun on the next Lectionary, and there’s nothing definite about 2028 as a date.” — Father Andrew V. Menke, director of the USCCB liturgical committee

Guest Author · June 7, 2020

“Comparison” • 15 Traditional Catholic Hymnals

Covid-19 has forced many parishes to remove all hymnals from their pews: A perfect opportunity for change!

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Jeff Ostrowski · December 9, 2014

Any Hope For Modern Catholic Hymnody? Yes!

Major publishers include Haugen’s verse “not in some heaven, light-years away”—what can be done about it?

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Jeff Ostrowski · December 17, 2013

“The Church has been called to move on.” — GIA’s Worship IV Hymnal

What is the purpose of a Procession? Is this statement true?

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Jeff Ostrowski · June 24, 2013

The Gather Hymnal

Excuse me, but . . . Say what? “If Christ entered the room, we’d be on our feet in an instant. We would not kneel.”

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Knox. Has. No. Equal.

Dr. Finberg (of the University of Leicester) famously said: “No living writer possesses a greater command over the English language than Monsignor Ronald Knox.” A lifetime spent among his works would not exhaust them; always another thing to see, never once a reason to look away. Consider the marvelous way Knox Englished the famous VERBUM SUPERNUM of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The 4th verse (in Latin) means: “By being born, He became man’s companion; at this supper, He became man’s food; in dying, He became man’s ransom; in reigning, He is man’s reward.” Knox brilliantly makes the English fit the Latin meter: The manger, Christ their equal made, | That upper room, their souls’ repast, | The Cross, their ransom dearly paid, | And heav’n, their high reward at last. I believe the meaning of the French word “manger” was not absent from his thoughts when he penned that stanza.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Proportionalist Plainchant • (Documented)

On this website, we believe: “If we don’t know where we came from, we can’t know where we’re going.” As a result, we often spend hours scanning old books of GREGORIAN CHANT (and organ accompaniments). We don’t claim those items are useful or desirable for today’s circumstances; the goal is understanding where we came from. Here is a fascinating musical score from the 19th century. At that time, it was believed that MENSURALISM (a.k.a. “proportionalism”) was the historically correct way to sing plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Garnier Alleluias • “Have They Moved?”

We received an email asking whether the “Garnier Gospel Acclamations website” has…

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—Jeff Ostrowski

“Predictable Rhymes?” • A Follow Up

We received considerable correspondence regarding my article, Two Ways to Defile a Hymn. More specifically, what really raised certain people’s hackles was its follow-up article dealing with the keyboard accompaniment for the CHRIST THE KING HYMNAL. But to quote Eliza Doolittle: “Have I said anything I oughtn’t?” Please examine this PDF file and see whether you agree. Were the editors of the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL incorrect to insist upon sophisticated and clever rhymes, rather than mind-numbingly predictable rhymes?

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘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