Views from the Choir Loft

Offensive Music in Germany • Ash Wednesday (2019)

Jeff Ostrowski · March 13, 2019

HE FOLLOWING VIDEO has been making the rounds. You’ll surely see it sooner or later, so you might as well be prepared. (I find it pretty shocking—and, trust me, I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff.) This took place in the Basilica of St. Kunibert, and the celebrant was Cardinal Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne. For the record, I have no idea why she keeps spitting into that bullhorn during Mass. Gregory DiPippo, editor of the blog for the Church Music Association of America (CMAA), wrote: Shame on them for profaning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with that disgusting non-music.

To me, the “sacred music” chosen seems bizarre and disrespectful.

What do you think?

Cf. nn 85172

* Direct Download • 22.4MB
—Download this video file directly from GloriaTV.

You can view it on YouTube.

It also seems to have been uploaded as a file directly to YouTube.

Make no mistake about it: this Mass did happen—you can see for yourself. It is not a YouTube prank. They will probably remove the video, so here’s proof this is not fake.

MANY HAVE BEEN asking things like: “Why is that woman clapping in Church? Why is she hissing on Ash Wednesday? Why is she spitting into a bullhorn during Mass?” …and so forth. For myself, I have some different questions. Why is there no choir? What was found so unacceptable about truly great music (Palestrina, Morales, etc.) that this music was chosen instead? Listening to the video, can we really pretend that compositions by composers such as Marenzio are “too esoteric” to be understood by modern man? I can tell you that my choir members here in Los Angeles love the traditional music—and they sing it very well. Their favorite is Father Tomás Luis de Victoria. The Soprano in that video clearly has a fantastic voice; why does she not use her voice to train a choir?

I don’t know anything about Cardinal Woelki, but several who do know him have written to say he must have been tricked into doing this. Sadly, bishops are often unaware of what they’re walking into.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

“Entrance Chant” • Christ the King

Download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the Solemnity of Christ the King (24 November 2024). It mimics the Mode III Latin version in a truly spectacular way. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, I attempted to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Music List” • (33rd Sund. Ordinary Time)

This coming Sunday—17 November 2024—is the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. Some have expressed interest in perusing my “ORDER OF MUSIC.” If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. You’ll notice we’re learning Moreau’s “Congregational Polyphonic Enhancement” for the OUR FATHER. For the record, our opening hymn is particularly beautiful. So is the Mode 6 ENTRANCE CHANT.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Lectionary Errors

If you look at the official Responsorial Psalm (PDF) for this coming Sunday, you’ll notice the current Lectionary has the wrong refrain. Why is this a big deal? Why even mention such a thing? Everybody makes mistakes, right? Here’s why it matters. The USCCB—which makes money by selling the sacred liturgical texts—has historically been ruthless when it comes to such matters. When various publishers point out errors to them, their response has been: “If you dare to correct the error, we’ll sue you.” These errors are not a matter of nuance; e.g. sometimes the previous (English) edition of the Lectionary got them right! Bottom Line: mandatory, indulgenced, liturgical texts shouldn’t be sold; they should be freely available to all Catholics.

—Jeff Ostrowski

The Breviary in the Life of the Laity

Recently I have been enjoying looking through the inaugural (1927) edition of a 20th-century liturgical magazine called Orate Fratres. The July 1927 issue included an excellent article by a Chicago laywoman named Ellen Gates Starr entitled “The Delights of the Breviary: From the Point of View of a Lay Woman.” As we in the 21st century have recently undergone a (blessed!) re-translation of the missal into English, and as we await with joyful hope (please God, before Jesus comes back!) a similar re-translation of the breviary, the opening of her article reminded me of that old saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Nearly a hundred years ago, she penned words that could just as easily have been written today: “It is indeed a privilege to be allowed any participation, however slight, in the liturgical movement in the Church – the movement to bring back the classics of devotion, the Missal and the Breviary, into general use by the laity. The wonder is that they should ever have fallen into disuse. Nothing can take the place of these great universal prayers of the Church, the prayers of the Mass and the divine Office. One has only to know them to find them indispensable. And alas, how few of the laity know them!” I know that I have been tremendously nourished by regular praying of the breviary as of late, and my wish is that you and I, dear reader, may continue to nourish our interior lives with the official prayer of the Church, which present to us (in the Mass) and extend (in the Office) the fullness of Christ’s greatest gift to us – the gift of Himself – in the Most Holy Eucharist.

—Daniel Tucker

Principles vs Preferences

I ran into this idea recently: principles vs. preferences in planning out a curriculum or music lineup. In this idea, it is imperative to not misconstrue personal preferences into principles—that the music (or subject matter) is great because: “I have good taste, and I like it.” De gustibus… Education, study and docility to the Magisterium of the Church on matters of liturgical music must be present in those who make the music at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Hours. Who knows? Maybe you might start to prefer the music that is fitting according to the principles Catholic Sacred Music?

—William J. Fritz

Liquescent Notes in the Official Edition

The official edition—the EDITIO VATICANA itself—is somewhat inconsistent when it comes to liquescent notes. If you wish to see a perfect “apples-to-apples” comparison, click here. Such “inconsistency” was not owing to ignorance on the part of Abbat Pothier: the manuscripts themselves are inconsistent when it comes to liquescent notes.

—Jeff Ostrowski