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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

Keven Smith • Article Archive

Keven Smith is the music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church, an apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in Sacramento, California. He trains and directs a mixed choir that sings full Gregorian propers, ordinaries, and sacred polyphony at more than 100 traditional Latin Masses per year. Keven lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—Read full biography (with photographs).

Keven Smith · August 31, 2020

(Installment #3) “Catholic Hymnals” • Keven Smith

Top 10 Features • “An Ideal Extraordinary Form Hymnal”

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Keven Smith · August 24, 2020

Quick Vocal Tip: Be Breathy, but Briefly

You’ll never meet a serious choral singer who strives for a breathy sound. But a little breathiness in warmups and personal practice can work wonders. 

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Keven Smith · August 17, 2020

Stress Relief Tip: Let Your Structure Do the Work

When was the last time you gave your muscles permission to relax and let your bones do their job?

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Keven Smith · August 11, 2020

Why Are You a Church Musician, Anyway?

(Keven Smith) • Now is the perfect time for us all to stop and reflect on where we came from as church musicians. What was it that first made you interested in singing, directing, or playing the organ?+

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Keven Smith · August 4, 2020

Survey Results: Music at the TLM Doesn’t Matter?

In a recent survey, only 3% of young adults said it was music that drew them to the Latin Mass. Find out why that’s great news for church musicians.

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Keven Smith · July 27, 2020

Ubi Caritas Goes Viral: My Thoughts

Have you seen the viral video of four men singing Ubi Caritas in a stairwell? Here are some thoughts on this phenomenon.

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Keven Smith · July 14, 2020

Two Fast, Easy Ways for Church Musicians to Relieve Stress

One common place for musicians to feel wear and tear is in the neck. Here’s how to release it.

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Keven Smith · July 7, 2020

Unslumping Yourself with the King of Instruments

On those days when you can’t quite put your heart into singing, improvising at the organ can be comforting and rewarding.

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Keven Smith · June 29, 2020

Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part IV of IV)

We come now to the final installment in my series on our music program at St. Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church in Sacramento, California.

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Keven Smith · June 23, 2020

Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part III)

Far from being a mere complement to our parish choir, our young Choristers are, quite frankly, its core.

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Keven Smith · June 15, 2020

Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part II)

Yes, children as young as seven or eight will focus and listen as you’re teaching them solfege scales, rhythm patterns, beautiful Latin vowels, and more!

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Keven Smith · June 9, 2020

Real Life in a Large Church Choir Program (Part 1)

At St. Stephen the First Martyr Church in Sacramento, the road to the choir loft begins at age four and is paved with furry puppets.

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Keven Smith · June 1, 2020

How to Get Better at Chant Without Opening Your Mouth

It’s a singular joy to make music, but as we all know, it’s the behind-the-scenes work that makes our rendition of the music truly special—all to the glory of God and the edification of His faithful.

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Keven Smith · May 26, 2020

The Fastest, Cheapest, Painfulest Way to Get a Voice Lesson

You know your own sound so well. You know your strengths, and what you need to work on. Why not suck it up and become your own vocal coach for a while?

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Keven Smith · May 18, 2020

What to Do When Music Creeps Into Your Prayer

Music is a language, but it does not supplant our own. Rather, it enlivens our words so that they can penetrate the soul with the fullness of their meaning—and enlighten our eyes in any circumstance.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Season’s End Repertoire
    Looking at the REPERTOIRE SHEET until the end of the choral season, I see that I’ve fallen behind schedule. (The last three months have been extraordinarily busy.) As you know, I have been providing organ harmonies for all the ENTRANCE CHANTS—as well as rehearsal videos—and you can see I’m behind where I planned to be. Now I must make up lost ground. However, the choir picks up the ENTRANCE CHANT with ease, so I’m sure it will all work out. My ‘unofficial’ harmonizations are being posted each week at the flourishing feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Funeral Procession”
    From a mediæval Book of Hours, I was sent this glorious depiction of a Roman Catholic funeral procession by Simon Bening (d. 1561). The image resolution is extremely high. I’m not sure I know of a more beautiful illustration of a mediæval church. And I love how the servers are wearing red and pink cassocks!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Accomp. • Schubert’s “Ave Maria.”
    Sometimes the organist must simultaneously serve as the CANTOR. (Those who work in the field of church music know exactly what I’m talking about.) One of our contributors composed this simplified keyboard accompaniment for Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” a piece which is frequently requested for Catholic funerals and weddings. In terms of the discussion about whether that piece is too theatrical (‘operatic’) for use in Church, I will leave that discussion to others. All I know is, many church musicians out there will appreciate this simplified version.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    PDF Download • “Anima Christi”
    I received a request for an organ accompaniment I created way back in 2007 for the “Anima Christi” Gregorian Chant. You can download this PDF file which has the score in plainsong followed by a keyboard accompaniment. Many melodies have been paired with “Anima Christi” over the centuries, but this is—perhaps—the most common one.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF • “Liturgical Law” (467 Pages)
    On Good Friday during the middle ages, the pope privately recited THE ENTIRE PSALTER. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself by reading this passage by Dom Charles Augustine Bachofen (d. 1943). His famous book—called “Liturgical Law: A Handbook Of The Roman Liturgy”—was published by the Benjamin Herder Book Company, which was the American arm (operating out of St. Louis, Missouri) of one of the world’s most significant Catholic publishers. Dom Charles Augustine Bachofen was born in Switzerland but spent his career between the Benedictine monasteries at Conception (Missouri) and Mount Angel (Oregon). His 1931 masterpiece, Liturgical Law can be downloaded as a PDF file … 467 pages!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Gregorian Chant Quiz” • 24 March 2026
    How well do you know your Gregorian hymns? Do you recognize the tune inserted into the bass line on this score? For many years, we sang the entire Mass in Gregorian chant—and I mean everything. As a result, it would be difficult to find a Gregorian hymn I don’t recognize instantly. Only decades later did I realize (with sadness) that this skill cannot be ‘monetized’… This particular melody is used for a very famous Gregorian hymn, printed in the LIBER USUALIS. Do you recognize it? Send me an email with the correct words, and I promise to tell everybody I meet about your prowess!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The chapter orders that any cathedral singer or instrumentalist who uses a paid leave of absence to try out for a post elsewhere shall automatically forfeit his post at Seville Cathedral.” [From “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

— Sevilla Cathedral: Chapter Resolution (7 September 1565)

Recent Posts

  • Season’s End Repertoire
  • PDF Download • “Funeral Procession”
  • Re: The “Correct” Way To Sing Gregorian Chant
  • PDF Download • Ascension “Entrance Chant”
  • Every Artist Needs a Refuge

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