Views from the Choir Loft

Mass and Motets

Veronica Brandt · March 18, 2023

When we were starting a schola at Lawson, a retired priest gave me a copy of this little booklet, Mass and Motets for Mixed Voices, By Polyphonic Masters. This was printed by The Advocate Press, 143-151 a’Beckett Street, Melbourne, Australia. I had assumed it was an Australian compilation, but someone has found parallels with offerings by Kalmus, which I haven’t been able to confirm. Then I noticed the German notes in a few places.

It was printed before printing publishing dates was a thing, so I’m guessing it’s about 1940-ish.

In the past, I had sung from photocopies from this booklet with different choirs, without knowing the source. So many pieces are familiar, I look forward to getting to know the remainder.

Someone asked me to scan it, but if Kalmus is selling it, then maybe that’s not the best. Also, it’s quite a cramped typesetting to shoe-horn as much music as possible into 32 pages. Also, the pieces are available elsewhere on the internet, all except the Gloria from Antonio Lotti’s Missa Brevis for 4 voices in C. The booklet calls it Missa (dorisch), but Lotti’s Masses get many mixed up names in different editions.

So, here are all the pieces with links.

Missa (dorisch) – Mass and Motets includes the Gloria, but this link doesn’t.
Adoramus Te Clemens non Papa
Adoramus Te Francesco Rosselli
Ave Regina Caelorum Antonio Lotti
Ave Verum Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Cantate Domino Giuseppe Pitoni
Christus Factus Est Felice Anerio
Ecce, quomodo moritur, Jacob Handl Gallus
Hodie nobis coelorum Rex Giovanni Bernardino Nanino
In nomine Jesu Jacob Handl Gallus
Istorum est Claudio Casciolini
Jesu, dulcis memoria Tomás Luis de Victoria
O bone Jesu Marco Antonio Ingegneri
O Domine Jesu Christe Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
O Jesu Christe Rinaldo del Mel
O Redemptor Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
O vos omnes Giovanni Croce
Popule meus Tomás Luis de Victoria
Regina Caeli Antonio Lotti
Tantum Ergo Giovanni Matteo Asola
Tantum Ergo Palestrina? – printed in the English Hymnal Clearer pdf from Musescore
Veni sancte Spiritus Sethus Calvisius
Veni Creator Spiritus Claudio Casciolini

And here are some photos:

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

About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

Simplified Accompaniment (Advent Hymn)

Many organists are forced to simultaneously serve as both CANTOR and ACCOMPANIST. In spite of what some claim, this can be difficult. I invite you to download this simplified organ accompaniment (PDF) which in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal is hymn #661: “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” (for ADVENT). I’m toying with the idea of creating a whole bunch of these, to help amateur organists. The last one I uploaded was downloaded more than 2,900 times in a matter of hours—so there appears to be interest.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “Music List” (Immaculate Concep.)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 8 December 2025, the feast of OUR LADY’S IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. The fauxbourdon setting of the COMMUNION is exquisite. In Latin, the title of this feast is: In Conceptione Immaculata Beatae Mariae Virginis. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are available at the feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of December (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Pope Leo XIV on Sacred Music

On 5 December 2025, Pope Leo XIV made this declaration with regard to liturgical music.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Translations Approved for Liturgical Use”

According to the newsletter for USSCB’s Committee on Divine Worship dated September 1996, there are three (3) translations of the Bible which can be used in the sacred liturgy in the United States. You can read this information with your own eyes. It seems the USCCB and also Rome fully approved the so-called NRSV (“New Revised Standard Version”) on 13 November 1991 and 6 April 1992 but this permission was then withdrawn in 1994.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Church officials frequently asked Tomás Luis de Victoria for his opinion on cathedral appointments because of his fame and knowledge. He was faithful to his position as convent organist even after his professional debut as an organist, and never accepted any extra pay for being a chapelmaster. Held in great esteem, his contract allowed him frequent travel away from the convent, and he attended Palestrina’s funeral (in Rome) in 1594.”

— ‘Dr. Robert Stevenson, 1961 (mod.)’