Traditional Latin Mass

Introduction to the Latin Mass For Kids, By Kids

Veronica Brandt · January 13, 2020 ·

Take a look at this new introduction to the Latin Mass from the Trad Kids TV.

The Centrality of the Sign of the Cross

Fr. David Friel · May 27, 2018 ·

The Roman Rite revolves around this sign of our salvation

The Preface of the Holy Cross

Fr. David Friel · March 18, 2018 ·

An eloquent liturgical text worthy of prayerful reflection

Lux Fulgebit: Mass at Dawn of Christmas Day

Fr. David Friel · December 24, 2017 ·

New recording by the Schola Cantorum of St. Mary’s Church in Norwalk, CT

All Saints and the Extraordinary Form of the Mass

Fr. David Friel · October 29, 2017 ·

The Roman Rite gives strong attention to the presence of the saints.

Printable Card • “Prayers at the Foot of the Altar”

Fr. David Friel · October 1, 2017 ·

A handy resource for priests and servers

Tenth Anniversary Celebration • “Summorum Pontificum”

Fr. David Friel · August 13, 2017 ·

A Solemn Pontifical Mass will be offered in Philadelphia on September 14, 2017

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