Views from the Choir Loft

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music. Read more.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · March 14, 2013

Communion in the Hand

The permission to receive Holy Communion in the hand is a dangerous aberration that must be rescinded if the Church is to achieve spiritual health again.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · March 7, 2013

Vatican II and the Reform of the Mass

For the Year of Faith in which we recall the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, it behooves us to reflect on what the Council actually asked for, and why a return to Tradition will prove, in the long run, more faithful to the Council’s original inspiration and intentions.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · February 28, 2013

Nothing That Requires Explanation?

Pope Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum has inaugurated the liturgical renewal the Council attempted.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · February 21, 2013

Keep Calm and Carry On

The irony is that the internet has become a major tool for the success of this movement of restoration ― the restoration of a liturgical tradition that long predates the technology of the printing press, let alone any electric or electronic machinery.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · February 14, 2013

The Devil’s Parody

The pro-life mentality echoes and imitates the good angels who chose eternal life by the power of sanctifying grace . . .

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · February 7, 2013

Possessors of a Rich Tradition

When we give Catholics more to take pride in and take possession of, we are surprised to find that they rise to the challenge and glory in the result.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · January 31, 2013

Conservatism and Traditionalism

There is a problem that continues to slow down the pace of genuine reform and renewal in the Church, and that is the predominance of conservatism.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · January 24, 2013

Musical Harmony Softens Hard Hearts

Saint Hildegard of Bingen, pray for us!

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · January 17, 2013

In every age, the challenge is the same

A Bible passage that has always struck me very forcefully . . .

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · January 6, 2013

Peter Kwasniewski

Peter has held posts with the International Theological Institute in Austria . . .

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · December 22, 2012

Reason and Mystery

Let us not abandon the heart of the mind and the mind of the heart.

Organ Accompaniment • “Kyrie IV”

Fans of Gregorian Chant may wish to download the organ accompaniment (PDF file) I created for KYRIE IV a.k.a. Cunctipotens genitor Deus. It adheres to the official rhythm and was inspired by Flor Peeters (a famous Belgian organist and composer who studied with Oscar De Puydt at the LEMMENSINSTITUUT).

—Jeff Ostrowski

Which Gospel Acclamations?

Some have asked which Gospel acclamations (“Alleluia”) we use at my church. We use this gorgeous printed resource available on AMAZON PRIME. Once both congregation and cantor have sung their parts, our choir launches into a beautiful SATB “choral extension” (cf. Saint Noël Chabanel Mass Setting).

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Entrance Chant” • Immaculate Conception

Download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the Immaculate Conception (9 December 2024). It’s in the third mode—which some consider the most beautiful of all—and mimics the authentic version in a laudable way. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, I attempted to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.

—Jeff Ostrowski

The Breviary in the Life of the Laity

Recently I have been enjoying looking through the inaugural (1927) edition of a 20th-century liturgical magazine called Orate Fratres. The July 1927 issue included an excellent article by a Chicago laywoman named Ellen Gates Starr entitled “The Delights of the Breviary: From the Point of View of a Lay Woman.” As we in the 21st century have recently undergone a (blessed!) re-translation of the missal into English, and as we await with joyful hope (please God, before Jesus comes back!) a similar re-translation of the breviary, the opening of her article reminded me of that old saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Nearly a hundred years ago, she penned words that could just as easily have been written today: “It is indeed a privilege to be allowed any participation, however slight, in the liturgical movement in the Church – the movement to bring back the classics of devotion, the Missal and the Breviary, into general use by the laity. The wonder is that they should ever have fallen into disuse. Nothing can take the place of these great universal prayers of the Church, the prayers of the Mass and the divine Office. One has only to know them to find them indispensable. And alas, how few of the laity know them!” I know that I have been tremendously nourished by regular praying of the breviary as of late, and my wish is that you and I, dear reader, may continue to nourish our interior lives with the official prayer of the Church, which present to us (in the Mass) and extend (in the Office) the fullness of Christ’s greatest gift to us – the gift of Himself – in the Most Holy Eucharist.

—Daniel Tucker

Principles vs Preferences

I ran into this idea recently: principles vs. preferences in planning out a curriculum or music lineup. In this idea, it is imperative to not misconstrue personal preferences into principles—that the music (or subject matter) is great because: “I have good taste, and I like it.” De gustibus… Education, study and docility to the Magisterium of the Church on matters of liturgical music must be present in those who make the music at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Hours. Who knows? Maybe you might start to prefer the music that is fitting according to the principles Catholic Sacred Music?

—William J. Fritz

Liquescent Notes in the Official Edition

The official edition—the EDITIO VATICANA itself—is somewhat inconsistent when it comes to liquescent notes. If you wish to see a perfect “apples-to-apples” comparison, click here. Such “inconsistency” was not owing to ignorance on the part of Abbat Pothier: the manuscripts themselves are inconsistent when it comes to liquescent notes.

—Jeff Ostrowski