Views from the Choir Loft

Father Friel • Article Archive

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.—(Read full biography).

Fr. David Friel · August 29, 2017

John the Baptist and the Meaning of Marriage

‘Til Death Do Us Part

Fr. David Friel · August 20, 2017

What Do Catholic Teenagers Sing?

A lesson in presumptions and realities

Fr. David Friel · August 13, 2017

Tenth Anniversary Celebration • “Summorum Pontificum”

A Solemn Pontifical Mass will be offered in Philadelphia on September 14, 2017

Fr. David Friel · August 4, 2017

The Scandal and Allure of the Priesthood

A Reflection on Priesthood by Archbishop Philip Tartaglia

Fr. David Friel · July 30, 2017

Pastoral Care of Persons with Disabilites

Catholics with disabilities have a right to participate in the sacraments as fully as other members of the local ecclesial community.

Fr. David Friel · July 23, 2017

Seven Rules for Writing Sermons

Guidance from Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman

Fr. David Friel · July 16, 2017

Carmel 1

The Vineyard of God

Fr. David Friel · July 9, 2017

JPII: “The Roman Church Has Special Obligations to Latin”

This vision of the Church’s relationship with Latin is quite different from the perspective held by many post-conciliar liturgists.

Fr. David Friel · July 2, 2017

Formation in the Liturgy

Remarkable Speech by a High School Valedictorian

Fr. David Friel · June 29, 2017

Strong with God’s Strength 1

Celebrating Saints Peter & Paul

Fr. David Friel · June 25, 2017

Composition with Pencil & Paper or Computer Software?

A lunch-time conversation at Sacred Music Colloquium 2017 in St. Paul, MN

Fr. David Friel · June 18, 2017

Silence in the Liturgy

Thoughts from Pope Benedict XVI, Msgr. Guido Marini, and the GIRM

Fr. David Friel · June 12, 2017

Liturgical Reflections of a Papal Master of Ceremonies

Essays from Msgr. Guido Marini

Fr. David Friel · June 4, 2017

Thoughts on Benedict

St. Benedict, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and “Ars Celebrandi”

Fr. David Friel · May 28, 2017

The Sequences as Popular Works of Liturgical Creativity

A new article on the Sequences of the Roman Rite in the “Adoremus Bulletin”

Lectionary Errors

If you look at the official Responsorial Psalm (PDF) for this coming Sunday, you’ll notice the current Lectionary has the wrong refrain. Why is this a big deal? Why even mention such a thing? Everybody makes mistakes, right? Here’s why it matters. The USCCB—which makes money by selling the sacred liturgical texts—has historically been ruthless when it comes to such matters. When various publishers point out errors to them, their response has been: “If you dare to correct the error, we’ll sue you.” These errors are not a matter of nuance; e.g. sometimes the previous (English) edition of the Lectionary got them right! Bottom Line: mandatory, indulgenced, liturgical texts shouldn’t be sold; they should be freely available to all Catholics.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • SABT Enhancement (“Our Father”)

If you direct music in the ORDINARY FORM, you’ll want to download this free PDF as fast as humanly possible. While in Europe last summer, Veronica discovered this breathtaking “polyphonic enhancement” for the Lord’s Prayer. The congregation sings their part as normal, while the choir “weaves” SATB harmonies around them. My choir is definitely going to use this!

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Entrance Chant” • Sunday (17 Nov. 2024)

Download the Entrance Antiphon in English for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (17 November 2024). It’s in mode 6—which some consider the “mode of peace”—and mimics the authentic version in a splendid and gorgeous 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

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

Final Sundays after Pentecost

For those of us at a traditional Latin Mass, it’s that time of year when the sung propers for each Sunday repeat until the end of the liturgical year. What to do with the portion of your mid-week rehearsal that you normally devote to the next Sunday’s propers? I like to get a head start on propers for upcoming December feasts. We always sing Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 because she’s co-patroness of our diocese, and we sing a Rorate Mass in addition to Immaculate Conception. There’s also the first Sunday of Advent; it often follows Thanksgiving by a few days and we don’t rehearse on Thanksgiving. In short, there’s no reason to get bored at this time of year!

—Keven Smith

Parallel Fifths In Plainsong Accompaniment?

Parallel 5ths are forbidden in Baroque music and Classical music. However, plainsong accompaniment has its own rules and modal style. The great masters sometimes even wrote parallel sevenths! Instances of parallel fifths are too numerous to list in the Nova Organi Harmonia by the LEMMENSINSTITUUT. For example, consider this one. But one must possess a certain expertise to employ them properly. By the way, if you wish to see double parallel fifths, click here.

—Jeff Ostrowski