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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

“A Truly Eucharistic Hymn” • Christ the King (SATB)

Jeff Ostrowski · September 21, 2021

AVE YOU HEARD the hymn called Te Saeculorum Principem? In March, I posted five different English translations that can be sung using various melodies in the Brébeuf hymnal. The hymn was written for the institution of the feast of Christ the King in 1925. It was composed by Father Vittorio Genovési, hymnographer of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1942 until his death in 1967. The fifth verse explicitly references the Holy Eucharist: “For this, Thou art hidden on our altars under the form of bread and wine, and pour out on Thy children from Thy pierced side the grace of salvation.”

A Live Recording: My choir sang this hymn last Sunday, and I’m so proud of the progress they are making. Most of these singers do not read music, and many had no previous musical training. Our choir is 100% volunteer. If you want a reference, the hymn is #753 in the Brébeuf hymnal. Here’s a live recording:

Broken Hymns: If you have a copy of the Brébeuf hymnal, you realize that Pope Urban VIII destroyed the ancient Breviary hymns in 1629, with the help of four Jesuit poets. 1 Father Ulysse Chevalier (d. 1923) summarized the Urbanite revisions in these words: “the Jesuits have spoiled the work of Christian antiquity, under the pretext of restoring the hymns in accordance with the laws of metre and elegant language.” Every serious scholar who has ever looked at what Pope Urban VIII did has condemned his actions: Father Fortescue, Abbé Pimont, Monsignor Henry, and so forth.

Trying To Fix Them: The Second Vatican Council wanted to fix what Pope Urban VIII had done, so in paragraph 93 of Sacrosanctum Concilium they declared: “The hymns are to be restored to their original form.” However, the actual restoration left much to be desired, and someday I hope to write an article explaining what I mean by that. When it comes to Te Saeculorum Principem, the reformers “canceled” several of the verses. However, the Brébeuf editorial team—which spent years examining each hymn—did not eliminate those verses. Therefore, you can find the missing verses (deleted after Vatican II) inside the Brébeuf hymnal.


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The Jesuit poets who assisted Pope Urban VIII were: Father Mathias Casimir Sarbiewski (d. 1640), Father Famiano Strada (d. 1649), Father Tarquinio Galluzzi (d. 1649), and Father Girolamo Petrucci (d. 1669). Sometimes they only left a few words of the original hymns. In other cases, they completely re-wrote the hymn: e.g. Tibi Christe Splendor Patris for Michaelmas.

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

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Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: Christ the King, Eucharistic Hymn SATB, Hymn for Christ the King, Vittorio Genovesi SJ Last Updated: October 27, 2021

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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).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
    My pastor asked me to write brief articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The most recent article speaks about the recent announcement by Pope Leo XIV, which does have an impact on church musicians. Scheduled for publication on 2025 08 10th, it’s called: “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Chants” • 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
    All the chants for 3 August 2025—which is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)—have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (from the book of Wisdom) is stunning. That feast website has been called “the best kept secret of Church music.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Corn” From Heaven?
    The Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures was produced by Roman Catholics in England and bears a 15 March 1958 IMPRIMATUR from the Archbishop of Westminster. Its IMPRIMI POTEST was given by the director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Sometimes words chosen by translators sound funny to American ears. For instance, one of our Responsorial Psalms has as its refrain: “The Lord gave them bread from heaven.” But the British version has “The Lord gave them corn from heaven.” Feel free to examine this with your own eyes. (It comes from Psalm 77.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The introduction of the vernacular will certainly be a great sacrifice for those who know the beauty, the power and the expressive sacrality of Latin. We are parting with the speech of the Christian centuries; we are becoming like profane intruders in the literary preserve of sacred utterance. We will lose a great part of that stupendous and incomparable artistic and spiritual thing, the Gregorian chant. We have reason indeed for regret […] We are giving up something of priceless worth.”

— Pope Paul VI

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  • “Corn” From Heaven?
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