Views from the Choir Loft

Hymns Replacing Propers

Sacred Music US • Website for Fr. Weber’s Resources

Fr. David Friel · March 31, 2019 ·

A website exists to disseminate Fr. Samuel Weber’s sacred music resources

Podcast on Sacred Music

Fr. David Friel · May 14, 2017 ·

An interview with the blog, “Seminarian Casual”

What to Do with the “Fourth Option”

Fr. David Friel · March 19, 2017 ·

A new Adoremus article explores how best to overthrow the tyranny of “alius cantus congruus.”

New Collection of Propers from GIA

Fr. David Friel · October 2, 2016 ·

The growing market for Mass propers is a sign of promise.

Why Did Vatican II Happen?

Jeff Ostrowski · September 29, 2016 ·

These might not constitute the most perfect way to assist at Mass, but they’re very nice (German) hymn tunes!

Turning Off the Air Conditioning

Fr. David Friel · September 25, 2016 ·

Taking Advantage of the Natural Beauty that Surrounds Us

Catastrophic Results of USCCB “Interpretation”

Jeff Ostrowski · September 20, 2016 ·

“Peace, peace, peace on earth; peace to God’s people, all people on earth.”

Composition Contest

Fr. David Friel · September 11, 2016 ·

Submissions Sought by the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians

A Different Kind of World Youth Day

Fr. David Friel · August 7, 2016 ·

Sacred Music Helped to Transform Tauron Arena Kraków into a House of Prayer

Does Your Bishop Enforce The GIRM?

Jeff Ostrowski · August 1, 2016 ·

They will assume—and why shouldn’t they?—that “approved by the USCCB” applies to the hymns and songs…

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