Views from the Choir Loft

Reform of the Reform

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.”

Update on Sacra Liturgia Milano 2017

Fr. David Friel · November 27, 2016 ·

Preliminary Speaker List and Background Information

New Sacred Music Magazine — “Altare Dei”

Fr. David Friel · October 27, 2016 ·

Announcing the first issue of a brand new publication focusing on liturgy and sacred music.

Cardinal Sarah’s Missing Paragraph…

Jeff Ostrowski · October 3, 2016 ·

This article includes live recordings from a conference (“Society for Catholic Liturgy”) in Los Angeles.

A Serious Question About Vatican II

Jeff Ostrowski · September 9, 2016 ·

Vatican II spoke of “useless repetitions” in the liturgy, and said these should be examined…

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

Showdown in Arkansas over “Ad Orientem”

Jeff Ostrowski · July 17, 2016 ·

The Bishop of Little Rock has sent a letter (14 July 2016) forbidding his priests to celebrate Mass “ad orientem.”

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

Repetition in the Roman Missal

Fr. David Friel · February 14, 2016 ·

A Literary Approach in an Adoremus Bulletin Article

Too Many Options

Fr. David Friel · January 31, 2016 ·

Allowing Adolescents to Choose Their Faith & the Wide-Open Permissions of the GIRM

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