ITHOUT QUESTION, converts add much to the Catholic Faith. They often possess a ‘zeal’ which is inspiring. On the other hand, some converts bring with them erroneous liturgical ideas. For example, those who grew up Protestant often say: “One must never omit verses of a hymn, because hymns tell a story.” This demonstrates a profound ignorance of hymnody history. Leave aside obvious examples, such as “Tantum Ergo” and “O Salutaris Hostia” (which are both excerpts). The fact is, many of the finest hymns are excerpts from much longer hymns. As Dr. Adrian Fortescue wrote in 1913: “Many breviary hymns are really only fragments of very long compositions.”
Singing Method • Another Protestant error has to do with the way hymns are printed on the page. Remember that hardly any Protestant services include the Proprium Missae (although some ‘high’ Anglicans do). As a result, many Protestants grow up repeating the same hymns over and over, year after year. Because they sing the same hymns over and over again, they can get away with the so-called “English method” of printing hymns, where text and music are separated:
Observing such a layout, you might well ask: “How can anyone sight-read the tenor, alto, or bass part when the music is on a different page?” The answer: It’s impossible, unless you have grown up singing that hymn over and over.1 Anyone who’s worked in a real parish, however, realizes Catholic don’t have every hymn memorized—nor should they.
The Solution • Because the Brébeuf Hymnal was created by Catholic musicians and priests with years of experience working in real parishes, its editors took the position—which is correct—that not every Catholic has every hymn memorized. Notice how every single verse is conveniently written-out in the Brébeuf Hymnal accompaniment volumes and CHORAL SUPPLEMENT:
Dr. Mahrt • Dr. William Mahrt famously noted that Catholics in the United States only know three hymns: Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (“Te Deum”); Immaculate Mary (Lourdes Hymn); and Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above (“Salve Regina”). But a healthy parish music program is one in which “new” excellent hymns are introduced from time to time. The wise organist will play the melody as a ‘prelude’ for several weeks before it’s introduced. In one of his public lectures, Dr. Mahrt complained about the OPENING HYMNS sung at major Anglican cathedrals, because they often assigned a text from one book and a melody from another book. Dr. Mahrt complained: “I’m usually so busy trying to (somehow) hold both books that I miss the entire procession…” Some people might say: “Well, if Dr. Mahrt were a better musician he’d have no difficulty with the English method of hymn notation.” But such an assertion is false—as I’ve explained above.
The Lazy Way • Publishers can save literally thousands of man-hours by “stacking” lyrics. Before computers, that was the only method possible. That’s why 99% of old hymnals only include 2-3 verses for each hymn. But unless one already has every verse memorized, it’s quite inconvenient to read from a “stacked” score. For the organist who simultaneously serves as CANTOR, it’s virtually impossible (unless one already has all the lyrics memorized). That’s one reason hymns are often performed so poorly. Here is how “stacked” lyrics look:
Conclusion • As far as I can tell, there’s only one advantage of the so-called “English” method of printing hymns: viz. it makes appreciating the poetry easier. However—as I have explained—it makes singing ALTO, TENOR, or BASS impossible (unless it’s a hymn one has sung over and over for years). Fifty years before the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal was created, the Abbey of Solesmes realized the indisputable advantages of writing out each verse, and they did precisely that in their famous LIBER USUALIS, even though all of those hymns are unison only.
1 If anyone wants to prove me wrong, please let me know! I will call you on Zoom and provide a hymn you’ve never seen before. If you can successfully sight-read the alto, tenor, or bass part I’ll gladly give you a million dollars!
