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 · April 6, 2014

Lazarus, Come Out!

Slavery to Sin & Freedom in Christ

Fr. David Friel · March 30, 2014

Saints Who Were Artists

A Catalog

Fr. David Friel · March 23, 2014

Secular Architecture

Reneging on the Promise of Public Art

Fr. David Friel · March 16, 2014

Being Amazed

The Fullness of Beauty

Fr. David Friel · March 9, 2014

Steering Wedding Dates away from Advent & Lent

Embracing the Spirit of the Liturgical Calendar

Fr. David Friel · March 5, 2014

The Essence of Lent

“Rend Your Hearts, Not Your Garments”

Fr. David Friel · March 2, 2014

The Value of Tradition

Experience vs. Impartiality

Fr. David Friel · February 23, 2014

St. Therese on Beauty

The Divine Artist of souls is pleased when we do not stop at the exterior.

Fr. David Friel · February 16, 2014

Movie Review: The Monuments Men

Not Great Art, Itself, But Nevertheless Thought-Provoking

Fr. David Friel · February 9, 2014

Celebrating Parish Weddings

New Rubrics for Use of the Gloria

Fr. David Friel · February 2, 2014

Youth in Favor of Sacred Music

Not a Negligible Niche

Fr. David Friel · January 26, 2014

Comparing Canons

Does Using Eucharistic Prayer II Really “Save Time”?

Fr. David Friel · January 24, 2014

The Art of the Beautiful Lecture Series

Professor Anthony Esolen Presents: “Love & Artistic Genesis”

Fr. David Friel · January 19, 2014

The Authentic Role of the Laity

There is no mention in Apostolicam Actuositatem of running bake sales or pulling bingo numbers.

Fr. David Friel · January 12, 2014

The International Institute for Culture

“For the Love of Music” Series

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