Views from the Choir Loft

William Mahrt Gregorian Chant

Andrea Leal · May 28, 2025

“The Adalbert Propers” • Six (6) Quotations

“Fewer than 1% of Catholics are able to answer these questions correctly.” —Andrea Leal

Jeff Ostrowski · January 22, 2025

“Remembering William Mahrt” • My interview with Dr. Horst Buchholz (21 January 2025)

Includes Dr. Buchholz’s obituary for William Mahrt: “A Gentleman, a Scholar, and a Friend”

Fr. David Friel · January 2, 2025

In Memoriam • Dr. William Mahrt

A brilliant and faithful man who had tasted heaven in the chants of the Church

Jeff Ostrowski · November 8, 2021

Missa “My Little Pony” by Dan Schutte • Its Pedigree

A USCCB statement: singing psalms at Mass “may create problems” … ?

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Fr. David Friel · May 9, 2021

Virtual Sacred Music Colloquium 2021

Alongside many familiar faces, several new presenters are joining the faculty this year.

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Fr. David Friel · October 12, 2020

Sacred Music Boot Camp 2020

Three days of practical chant instruction and immersion in the treasury of Catholic sacred music

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Fr. David Friel · June 11, 2020

Virtual Sacred Music Colloquium 2020

The CMAA will offer a virtual version of its annual, week-long workshop.

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Fr. David Friel · September 8, 2019

PDF Download • Chant Notation—Nuptial Blessing (EF)

With permission from the CDF, the nuptial blessing at a sung EF Mass may be chanted according to this melody.

Fr. David Friel · August 30, 2015

Society for Catholic Liturgy Conference 2015

Featuring Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Dr. William Mahrt, and Fr. Uwe Michael Lang

Jeff Ostrowski · February 4, 2015

Exclusive Interview With Dr. William Mahrt

Towards the end I ask the CMAA president a loaded question … and he answers!

Music List • (3rd Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 3rd Sunday of Lent (8 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its stern INTROIT (“Óculi mei semper ad Dóminum”) is breathtaking, and the COMMUNION (“Qui bíberit aquam”) with its fauxbourdon verses is wonderful. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Samaritánæ” (3rd Sunday of Lent)

With regard to the COMMUNION for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year A), the Ordo Cantus Missae—which was published in 1969 by the Vatican, bearing Hannibal Bugnini’s signature and approbation in its PREFACE—inexplicably introduced a variant melody and slightly different words, as you can see by this comparison chart. When it comes to such items, they’re always done in secrecy by unnamed people. (Although it is known that Dom Eugène Cardine collaborated in the creation of the GRADUALE SIMPLEX, a book considered by some to be a travesty.)

—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

“Dies Irae” • A Monstrous Translation

It isn’t easy to determine what Alice King MacGilton hoped to accomplish with her very popular book—A Study of Latin Hymns (1918)—which continued to be reprinted in new editions for at least 34 years. This PDF file shows her attempt to translate the DIES IRAE “in the fewest words possible.” There’s a place for dynamic equivalency, but this is repugnant. In particular, look what she does to “Quærens me sedísti lassus.”

—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

Grotesque Pairing • “Passion Chorale”

One of our rarest releases was undoubtably this PDF scan of the complete Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) by Father Joseph Roff, a student of Healey Willan. One of the scarcest titles in existence, this book was provided to us by Mr. Peter Meggison. Back in 2018, we scanned each page and uploaded it to our website, making it freely available to everyone. Readers are probably sick of hearing me say this, but just because we upload something that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wonderful or worthy of imitation. We upload many publications precisely because they are ‘grotesque’, interesting, or revealing. Whereas the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal had an editorial board that was careful and sensitive vis-à-vis pairing texts with tunes, the Pope Pius XII Hymnal (1959) seems to have been rather reckless in this regard. Please take a look at what they did with the PASSION CHORALE and see whether you agree.

—Jeff Ostrowski