Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Jeff Ostrowski · March 6, 2017

PDF Download • “Antiphonale Romanum” (1949)

Yesterday, I used the text on page 366 to create an SATB Hymn for Lent.

Fr. David Friel · March 5, 2017

Is There Music in Heaven?

The Sights and Sounds of St. John’s Apocalypse

Veronica Brandt · March 4, 2017

O Crux Ave, partial recording

A stepping stone towards singing this motet with a small choir – a recording for the middle voice of Fr Friel’s 3 part motet.

Richard J. Clark · March 4, 2017

Pope Francis on musical quality: “mediocrity, superficiality, and banality”

“Sometimes a certain mediocrity, superficiality and banality have prevailed, to the detriment of the beauty and intensity of liturgical celebrations.”

Jeff Ostrowski · March 4, 2017

Did You Forget This Fabulous Lenten Hymn?

The psalm verses are optional—making this piece as long or short as you desire.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 3, 2017

Choirmasters, Your Job Is Hard Beyond A Doubt

What does sacred music have to do with the O. J. Simpson murder trial?

Guest Author · February 28, 2017

EF Divine Office Resource • Daily Recordings of Lauds

“At the crowing of the cock, hope returns…”

Jeff Ostrowski · February 28, 2017

Giacomo Cardinal Lercaro (1891-1976)

“There remains throughout the presence of Bugnini—his bias, his anger, and his prejudice—making one continuously ask the unanswerable question: why?” ~ Msgr. Richard J. Schuler

Fr. David Friel · February 26, 2017

The Purpose of Art

Considerations from Tolstoy

Veronica Brandt · February 25, 2017

Making rehearsal CDs and finding mp3s

Burning CDs may seem old-fashioned, but many people still rely on their CD players. All the shortcuts, plus a free recording of Audi Benigne Conditor.

Richard J. Clark · February 24, 2017

Four Real Reasons for Roman Catholic Funerals

The real purpose of a Roman Catholic funeral is not what most people think.

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · February 23, 2017

7 Points • “The Joy of Lent”

Does Lent really put people in a bad mood?

Jeff Ostrowski · February 22, 2017

“Morae Vocis” acc. to the Vatican Edition

The «Kyriale» contains very few melismatic morae.

Dr. Lucas Tappan · February 21, 2017

Music and the Imagination

Along the “via pulchritudinis” (the way of beauty) they will come to know Him Who is Beauty itself.

Jeff Ostrowski · February 21, 2017

PDF Download • “Cantus Varii” (469 Pages)

The revolution continues!

PDF Download • “Ubi Caritas” (SATB)

I remember singing “Ubi Cáritas” by Maurice Duruflé at the conservatory. I was deeply moved by it. However, some feel Duruflé’s version isn’t suitable for small choirs since it’s written for 6 voices and the bass tessitura is quite low. That’s why I was absolutely thrilled to discover this “Ubi cáritas” (SATB) for smaller choirs by Énemond Moreau, who studied with OSCAR DEPUYDT (d. 1925), an orphan who became a towering figure of Catholic music. Depuydt’s students include: Flor Peeters (d. 1986); Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel (d. 1953); Arthur Meulemans (d. 1966); Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989); and Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965). Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #19705. When I came across the astonishing English translation for “Ubi Cáritas” by Monsignor Ronald Knox—matching the Latin’s meter—I decided to add those lyrics as an option (for churches which have banned Latin). My wife and I made this recording to give you some idea how it sounds.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “Cantus Mariales” (192 pages)

Andrea Leal has posted an absolutely pristine scan of CANTUS MARIALES (192 pages) which can be downloaded as a PDF file. To access this treasure, navigate to the frabjous article Andrea posted Monday. The file is being offered completely free of charge. The beginning pages of the book have something not to be missed: viz. a letter from Pope Saint Pius X to Dom Pothier, in which the pope calls Abbat Pothier “a man versed above all others in the science of liturgy, and to whom the cause of Gregorian chant is greatly indebted.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Music List • (2nd Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 2nd Sunday of Lent (1 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its somber INTROIT is particularly striking—using a haunting tonality—but the COMMUNION with its fauxbourdon verses is also quite remarkable. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Extreme Unction

Those who search Google for “CCCC MS 079” will discover high resolution images of a medieval Pontificale (“Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 079”). One of the pages contains this absolutely gorgeous depiction of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”

I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)

I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.

—Jeff Ostrowski