Responsorial Psalm

Guest Author · September 1, 2015

The Responsorial Psalm: What You Never Knew!

…including recent documentation from the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy (USCCB).

Corpus Christi Watershed · June 25, 2014

Common Responsorial Psalm Texts

“Nevertheless, in order that the people may be able to join in the responsorial psalm more readily, some texts of responses and psalms have been chosen…”

Aurelio Porfiri · June 20, 2014

My Funeral

I am dead. And now here I am viewing my funeral. The people in attendance are not aware that I am looking at them.

Aurelio Porfiri · June 18, 2014

Responsorial Psalm: The “Gelineau Disease” ?

Someone might exclaim: “You also are doing this. We’ve seen your settings of the responsorial psalm!”

Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”

Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦

Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?

—Jeff Ostrowski

Don’t You Agree About These?

If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?

—Jeff Ostrowski

Tournemire could be charming or he could bite your head off. One day I could not replace him at St. Clotilde because I had a wedding to play at another church. Tournemire played on Sunday, period—that was all. He did not play weddings and so forth. (He put all that on my back.) So I went to Tournemire’s house to tell him, “Master, I am sorry but, for once, I cannot replace you. I have another obligation to fulfill.” He said, “Get out of here!” I left for good.

— Testimony of Maurice Duruflé