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Corpus Christi Watershed

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 • “The First Nowell” in Latin — Simplified Version (2024) for Choir & Organ

Jeff Ostrowski · December 17, 2024

N FORMER TIMES, Americans could learn a trade and then spend the rest of their lives in that same job. Unless I’m mistaken, that’s no longer the case. Nowadays, most Americans have no choice but to constantly learn new skills, and—quite frequently—enter new careers. This is difficult for people like me, because I struggle to learn new things. Perhaps one reason I struggle to learn new skills is because I learned music “the old fashioned way.” When my generation learned a new piece, we meticulously followed a process. For instance, in the case of a Chopin Etude, one would practice hands separately (slowly) at first. Then, one would add fingerings. Then, one would practice the difficult sections “in rhythms”—according to the Ruth Slenczynska method. Finally, one would combine both hands.

Hold The Line • In just a moment, I’ll explain why I bring up “learning new skills.” But first, I’d like to share with you an arrangement I made earlier this week. When it comes to the famous Christmas Carol—THE FIRST NOWELL—the famous version by Peter Lejeune is slightly beyond the capabilities of my current choir. (This choir has only been an existence for a few months.) Therefore, I made a simpler arrangement for organ and choir. My colleague, Corrinne May, kindly recorded the female voices for the rehearsal videos:

The PDF score, and rehearsal
videos for each individual voice
await you at #28679.

Jeff Feels Sorrowful • Most readers won’t take the time to click on number 28679. As a result, they’ll miss the opportunity to download the free PDF score. This makes me sad.

(1 of 2) Getting Back On Track • Earlier, I spoke of “learning new skills.” When it comes to church musicians, I believe there are some essential skills that can be learned—but they’re best learned from “hands-on experience” and a patient teacher in real life.

Many sacred music conferences don’t really address such things—which is tragic. After all, if somebody takes a whole week off work to attend a conference, wouldn’t it make sense to give them some essential skills, such as how to teach proper choral vowels, how to recruit volunteer singers, or how to avoid wasting time in rehearsal? Sadly, the presenters at many national (!) church music conferences have never stood in front of a choir in real life. Others have never run a parish music program. Still others may have garnered some parish experience, but their results were not very distinguished (or worse). As Monsignor Robert Skeris said over and over again: You can’t give what you don’t have.1

(2 of 2) Getting Back On Track • This year, the Sacred Music Symposium will be held in Michigan—less than a 3 hours drive from Detroit and less than a 3 hours drive from Chicago—from 23 June 2025 (Monday evening) through 29 June 2025 (Sunday morning). We are trying extra hard this year to focus on giving choirmasters hands-on experience and valuable skills. We hope to build on the unbelievable success of past symposia—and you can read hundreds of testimonials from participants at this website. I think we’ve come up with some ideas which will please you. If you have items you’d like to learn, such as how to make multi-track rehearsal videos, please email us such ideas.

1 To be completely honest, he repeated this maxim so frequently I got sick of hearing it. But now—all these years later—I understand why he did so.

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

Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Christmas Carol, FIRST NOWELL IN LATIN, Jam Désinant Suspíria, Latin Christmas Carols, The First Noel, The First Nowell Last Updated: December 17, 2024

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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

“This chapter hereby extends the prohibition of 13 June 1561 against loaning singers or instrumentalists on any account whatsoever to include even the humblest choirboy.” [From “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

— Sevilla: Chapter Resolution (10 June 1562)

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  • “Corn” From Heaven?
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