Views from the Choir Loft

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

Spanish Missal Chants Now Available

Fr. David Friel · April 22, 2018 ·

A collection of fine resources are available from the Domenico Zipoli Institute

Square Note App

Fr. David Friel · April 9, 2017 ·

Bring your “Graduale Digitalum” wherever you go.

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.

Turning Off the Air Conditioning

Fr. David Friel · September 25, 2016 ·

Taking Advantage of the Natural Beauty that Surrounds Us

Composition Contest

Fr. David Friel · September 11, 2016 ·

Submissions Sought by the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians

Communion Antiphons for Advent & Christmas • NEW • World Library Publications

Richard J. Clark · August 26, 2016 ·

World Library Publications has published settings of Communion propers for Advent and Christmas. Listen here to beautiful recordings directed by Paul French.

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

Instruction on Sacred Music by Bishop John Doerfler

Fr. David Friel · April 24, 2016 ·

Introducing a Five-Year Plan for the Future of Sacred Music in the Diocese of Marquette

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