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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

PDF Download • Draft Copy — “2023 Symposium Booklet” (320 Pages)

Jeff Ostrowski · April 22, 2023

ERFORMANCE. Much could be written about performance. For instance, one could discuss phenomenal musicians who had days of music memorized. I’m referring to musicians who had so many pieces memorized they could sit down and play—hour after hour—for days without the score. Three such musicians were: (1) Josef Hofmann; (2) Glenn Gould; (3) Sviatoslav Richter. On the other hand, playing the correct notes at tempo is only the tip of the iceberg. The most important thing is the artist’s interpretation. Many of today’s pianists can play billions of pieces without hitting a single wrong note—but they have nothing to say! In other words, their interpretations are boring, lifeless, uninspired, and stale. They lack the ‘personality’ of a Hofmann, a Rachmaninov, or a Cortot.

Jeff Can’t Do It • At the conservatory, we were required to memorize thousands of notes for our juries. That is to say, at the end of each semester we were forced to play a brief concert (by memory) in front of the entire piano faculty. The pieces we had to learn were quite difficult: sonatas by Prokofiev, Chopin’s Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise, Schumann’s Papillons, fugues by Bach, and so forth. One semester was particularly difficult because I had injured my shoulder—but I still had to play my jury. (I can’t remember the pieces, but one of them was a Beethoven concerto.) I will never forget standing in the green room, waiting to go on stage. I was so nervous, dreading a memory lapse. I experienced monumental anxiety! Somehow I managed to complete my jury, but it came to me in a powerful way that I wasn’t cut out to be a concert pianist. I remember asking myself: “Who invented this monstrous ritual? Who can tolerate such intense pressure?” [Those who have had a limited time to memorize thousands of notes will understand what I’m getting at.]

“Anxiety” Vs. “Focus” • Playing those juries each semester was a nightmare, but the experience was useful to me. It taught me a lot about performance. Essentially, there’s a world of difference between practicing (alone) in one’s practice room and performing in front of an audience. Obviously, anxiety should be avoided. On the other hand, “excitement” before a performance can help one focus—and that can be a good thing. I felt that same excitement last night, when I was putting the final touches on this draft booklet for the Sacred Music Symposium:

*  PDF Download • 2023 “DRAFT BOOKLET” (320 pages)
—This file is 134.2MB • Participants will be given a hard-copy.

Typos? • This year’s symposium is going to be magnificent. We’re going to have an enormous amount of fun while we learn so much. Believe it or not, creating a booklet like the one above requires a formidable amount of work. It is three things: (a) a musical score; (b) a reference book; and (c) a teaching document.

If you notice any typos, I hope you’ll let us know via email. Thank you!

Update:

As of 6 May 2023, anyone who wishes to may download the COMPLETED BOOKLET (330 pages) which was created for participants of Sacred Music Symposium 2023. Those who were accepted to participate in this year’s conference will be presented with their own (hard-copy) printed version of this breathtaking booklet. The faculty this year includes Professor Charles Weaver of Julliard, Dr. Alfred Calabrese of Texas, Richard Clark of Massachusetts, William Fritz of California, Kevin Allen of Illinois, and several others.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Josef Hofmann Pianist Extraordinaire, Pianist Glenn Gould Bach Last Updated: May 17, 2023

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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

    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “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

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 local church should be conscious that church worship is not really the same as what we sing in a bar, or what we sing in a convention for youth.

— Francis Cardinal Arinze (2005)

Recent Posts

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  • “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
  • “Chants” • 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
  • “Corn” From Heaven?

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