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Corpus Christi Watershed

Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Pipe Organ

Veronica Brandt · January 30, 2016

Make a Digital Piano Sound Like an Organ

Nothing beats a real pipe organ, but you may be able to put together a respectable substitute that you can lug into a church in a few bags.

Fr. David Friel · November 8, 2015

Liturgical Happenings at Notre Dame

Divine Liturgy and a new pipe organ

Fr. David Friel · March 15, 2015

The Future of the Pipe Organ

“The manifold possibilities of the organ remind us of the immensity and the magnificence of God.” (Pope Benedict XVI)

Veronica Brandt · January 3, 2015

Easy Organ Hymns for Catholics

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.

Richard J. Clark · October 17, 2014

The Death of a Parish | A Promise of New Life?

One of the most painful spiritual experiences many Catholics suffer is the closure of their parish.

Richard J. Clark · October 3, 2014

Organists: Know Thy Sheep!

To what extent does the pipe organ’s inclusion as a worship component influence
the quality of your worship experience?

Richard J. Clark · June 27, 2014

The Thoughts of His Heart

It is striking to even consider that Jesus has his own “thoughts” or “designs” within his own Heart.

Richard J. Clark · May 9, 2014

The Pipe Organ and Propers Flourish with Vexo and Weismann

While the pipe organ languishes in some places, it flourishes in others. There are three reasons why.

Richard J. Clark · May 2, 2014

The Pipe Organ in Survival Mode

Organists can no longer take for granted the dominant use—or for that matter, any use of the organ despite anything Sacrosanctum Concilium states.

Richard J. Clark · March 5, 2014

Misereris omnium | Ash Wednesday Introit

Few parishes are willing to sing Gregorian Introits for the Entrance Procession, but it is SIGNIFICANT that the very first Introit of Lent sings of God’s infinite MERCY.

Richard J. Clark · January 10, 2014

Improvising – and Praying – on the Propers

A close friend, a priest once told me years ago something I’ve never forgotten. “The people don’t need to know what it is to understand it.” They will understand the prayer interiorly if not in words. Since hearing that, I have always thought it important to play and pray music related to a relevant text.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Music List • (2nd Sunday of Lent)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 2nd Sunday of Lent (1 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its somber INTROIT is particularly striking—using a haunting tonality—but the COMMUNION with its fauxbourdon verses is also quite remarkable. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Like! Like! Like!
    You won’t believe who recently gave us a “like” on the Corpus Christi Watershed FACEBOOK PAGE. Click here (PDF) to see who it was. We were not only sincerely honored, we were utterly flabbergasted. This was truly a resounding endorsement and unmistakable stamp of approval.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Which Mass?
    In 1905, when the Vatican Commission on Gregorian Chant began publishing the EDITIO VATICANA—still the Church’s official edition— they assigned different Masses to different types of feasts. However, they were careful to add a note (which began with the words “Qualislibet cantus hujus Ordinarii…”) making clear “chants from one Mass may be used together with those from others.” Sadly, I sometimes worked for TLM priests who weren’t fluent in Latin. As a result, they stubbornly insisted Mass settings were ‘assigned’ to different feasts and seasons (which is false). To understand the great variety, one should examine the 1904 KYRIALE of Dr. Peter Wagner. One should also look through Dom Mocquereau’s Liber Usualis (1904), in which the Masses are all mixed up. For instance, Gloria II in his book ended up being moved to the ‘ad libitum’ appendix in the EDITIO VATICANA.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Extreme Unction
    Those who search Google for “CCCC MS 079” will discover high resolution images of a medieval Pontificale (“Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 079”). One of the pages contains this absolutely gorgeous depiction of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”
    I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)
    I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

When a friend speaks of his accomplishments and triumphs, he stands at a distance from our heart. When he shares his weaknesses and failings, he’s very near.

— Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Recent Posts

  • Music List • (2nd Sunday of Lent)
  • PDF Download • “Funerals in the Ordinary Form”
  • Extreme Unction
  • Like! Like! Like!
  • Which Mass?

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