Views from the Choir Loft

USCCB Sing to the Lord Document on Music

Fr. David Friel · December 23, 2018

New Chair of Sacred Music at US Seminary

Dr. Nathan Knutson will inaugurate this new position.

Fr. David Friel · January 31, 2016

Too Many Options

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

Fr. David Friel · January 11, 2015

What to Do with Musicam Sacram

Does the 1967 Instruction on Music in the Liturgy have any relevance today?

Fr. David Friel · December 21, 2014

Progressive Solemnity

A Reverse Concept?

Fr. David Friel · July 27, 2014

Is Recorded Music Okay for Children?

There is a prevalent notion that young people somehow need to be accommodated in the work of divine worship. As a former child, I find this to be an errant hankering.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 17, 2014

Gregorian Chant As A “Weapon” — Seriously?

A drafter of USCCB guidelines on church music has said: “Some individuals and organizations seemingly use chant as a weapon to advance their agenda and judge others.”

Jeff Ostrowski · December 17, 2013

Reason #6634 “Sing To The Lord” Was Not Submitted To Rome For Approval

Why should something invented in 1968 be “preferred” to the immemorial tradition of the Catholic Church?

Richard J. Clark · May 31, 2013

Decisions, Decisions…Progressive Solemnity, and Who Gets to Decide?

The Mass is a sung prayer and our greatest prayer. As such, it is not our goal to “make” something happen in liturgy. Only God can do that. Any role we have is God’s gift of grace to us. The sooner we understand that, the better we will fulfill our ministry and mission.

Richard J. Clark · May 24, 2013

Surprise! Musical Hierarchy in “Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship”

The priorities of what we should sing at mass are full of surprises for some. I hope in the end that the greater “surprise” will be in how our prayer is formed by what we sing. I hope this will be the most pleasant surprise of all.

Music List • (Easter Sunday, 2026)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for Easter Sunday—a.k.a. “Ad Missam in die Paschae”—which is 5 April 2026. Please feel free to download it as a PDF file if such a thing interests you. The Fauxbourdon for Communion is particularly moving.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Sprinkling Rite”

Liturgical reformers who gained power after Vatican II frequently caused great suffering to musicians. With the stroke of a pen, they sometimes make changes that would require thousands—or even millions—of man hours (work undertaken by composers and editors). The Sprinkling Rite during Eastertide is but one tiny example. The version given in that PDF document was the original melody for Roman Missal, Third Edition. Some still prefer that version. However, at the last moment, an “unknown hand” tinkered with a few notes in the antiphon. Those who examine the current edition can verify this with their own eyes.

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘Sarum’ Good Friday?

Plainsong of the Roman Rite has many variants—i.e. slight ‘variations’ or ‘alterations’ made to the ancient melodies. Variants often thrive in particular religious orders. Likewise, before Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, Gregorian Chant variants were frequently associated with individual cathedrals in England: Hereford, Lincoln, Salisbury, and so forth. In the early 20th century, the (Anglican) organist at Westminster Abbey married “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” to this beautiful variant melody from England. Those who sing Gregorian Chant on Good Friday will recognize the melody. What do you think of this pairing?

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Gregorian Chant Quiz” • 24 March 2026

How well do you know your Gregorian hymns? Do you recognize the tune inserted into the bass line on this score? For many years, we sang the entire Mass in Gregorian chant—and I mean everything. As a result, it would be difficult to find a Gregorian hymn I don’t recognize instantly. Only decades later did I realize (with sadness) that this skill cannot be ‘monetized’… This particular melody is used for a very famous Gregorian hymn, printed in the LIBER USUALIS. Do you recognize it? Send me an email with the correct words, and I promise to tell everybody I meet about your prowess!

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)

I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”

For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.

—Jeff Ostrowski