Views from the Choir Loft

Salve caput cruentatum

Jeff Ostrowski · April 23, 2022

Choir Directors • “Is It Worth The Struggle?”

The choir director’s vocation is chock-full of difficulties.

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Jeff Ostrowski · March 25, 2021

Never Released Before! • Unique Version of “O Sacred Head Surrounded” (SATB)

What is a Catholic Hymnal? How old are these hymns?

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Jeff Ostrowski · March 14, 2021

PDF Download • “O Sacred Head Surrounded” — Twelve Organ Accompaniments

You can’t have too many harmonizations of this piece!

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Jeff Ostrowski · February 17, 2021

PDF Download • “O Sacred Head Surrounded” … placed into Gregorian Chant!

Also provided: an organ accompaniment for “Jam Christe Sol Justitiae” (an ancient Catholic hymn for Lent).

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Proportionalist Plainchant • (Documented)

On this website, we believe: “If we don’t know where we came from, we can’t know where we’re going.” As a result, we often spend hours scanning old books of GREGORIAN CHANT (and organ accompaniments). We don’t claim those items are useful or desirable for today’s circumstances; the goal is understanding where we came from. Here is a fascinating musical score from the 19th century. At that time, it was believed that MENSURALISM (a.k.a. “proportionalism”) was the historically correct way to sing plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Garnier Alleluias • “Have They Moved?”

We received an email asking whether the “Garnier Gospel Acclamations website” has…

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—Jeff Ostrowski

Absolutely ‘Perfect’ Voice-Leading?

This brief passage seems (in my humble opinion) to be a delightful specimen.

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—Jeff Ostrowski

“Predictable Rhymes?” • A Follow Up

We received considerable correspondence regarding my article, Two Ways to Defile a Hymn. More specifically, what really raised certain people’s hackles was its follow-up article dealing with the keyboard accompaniment for the CHRIST THE KING HYMNAL. But to quote Eliza Doolittle: “Have I said anything I oughtn’t?” Please examine this PDF file and see whether you agree. Were the editors of the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL incorrect to insist upon sophisticated and clever rhymes, rather than mind-numbingly predictable rhymes?

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘Ould’ But Not Good

Dom Samuel Gregory Ould (note the spelling) was a Benedictine monk at FORT AUGUSTUS ABBEY in Scotland. As musician, organist, and composer, Dom Ould was highly regarded. Moreover, he was considered an authority on Gregorian Chant. But not everything found in an old book—or, in this case, an “Ould” book—is necessarily praiseworthy. Consider this page from Dom Ould’s hymnal. Do you see the rhymes? They offend severely by ABR (“Abuse By Reuse”) and are utterly predictable. In my recent article—Two Ways to Defile a Hymn—I addressed this topic.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reader Feedback” • 22 June 2026

A reader wrote to us from Virginia: “I really appreciate the 23 harmonizations that you posted on CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED for the Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary hymn. I hope to find willing voices in our small Schola Cantorum to try the three-voice version. Carry on, sir! You’re doing the Lord’s work.” While we don’t know this gentleman personally, we note that he earned a Ph.D. (which demonstrates that our blog has something for everybody). 😊

—Corpus Christi Watershed