Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Fr. David Friel · June 23, 2016

Colloquium 2016 • Day 3

The Organic Development of the Liturgy and the New Music Breakouts

Andrew Leung · June 23, 2016

Made in China

Gregorian Chant pew cards in Hong Kong.

Fr. David Friel · June 22, 2016

Colloquium 2016 • Day 2

Explanatory Images from Wilko Brouwers

Jeff Ostrowski · June 22, 2016

Purchase Hard Copies of the Goupil Gradual

Eight reasons why every choirmaster needs this new resource.

Fr. David Friel · June 21, 2016

Colloquium 2016 • Day 1

A concert of early music by the ensemble “Pro-Arte Saint Louis”

Jeff Ostrowski · June 21, 2016

First Instance of “Alius Cantus Aptus”

“The current rubrics of the missal … specify the moments when the celebrant must turn toward the people.” —Cardinal Sarah, 23 May 2016

Jeff Ostrowski · June 20, 2016

“Vidimus Stellam Ejus In Oriente”

Who could deny the text painting here?

Jeff Ostrowski · June 19, 2016

Musical Resources • 5th Sunday after Pentecost

“O God, Who hast prepared good things unseen for them that love Thee…”

Jeff Ostrowski · June 18, 2016

Does the Mass Demand a Certain Level of Dignity?

I started asking myself how anyone could argue against something like this. After all, isn’t it good to share joy?

Andrew Leung · June 16, 2016

A Guardian of the Sacred Tradition in the South — Part 2

Why is the Basilica community so lively and why are they growing so much?

Jeff Ostrowski · June 15, 2016

Essential Resources • Psalm Tones for Mass Propers

“The singing of the Communion Antiphon alone, which sufficed at sung Mass when Holy Communion was not given, is insufficient under the new conditions…” —Solesmes (1957)

Jeff Ostrowski · June 14, 2016

Congregational Singing in the Year 1903

“The Ordinary of the Mass and the hymn at Vespers are the parts of Divine Service in which the congregation is supposed to join.” —Solesmes (1903)

Dr. Lucas Tappan · June 14, 2016

The Theology of the Organ

Let’s put the organ back on the pedestal it rightfully deserves.

Jeff Ostrowski · June 14, 2016

New Gloria Mixing Plainsong w/ Polyphony

… composed by a Franciscan monk!

Jeff Ostrowski · June 12, 2016

Musical Resources • 4th Sunday after Pentecost

“May the mysteries we have received purify us, we beseech Thee, O Lord…”

“Simplified” Keyboard Accompaniment (PDF)

I’d much rather hear an organist play a simplified version correctly than listen to wrong notes. I invite you to download this simplified organ accompaniment for hymn #729 in the Father Brébeuf Hymnal. The hymn is “O Jesus Christ, Remember.” I’m toying with the idea of creating a whole bunch of these, to help amateur organists. The last one I uploaded was downloaded more than 1,900 times in a matter of hours—so there seems to be interest in such a project. For the record, this famous text by Oratorian priest, Father Edward Caswall (d. 1878) is often married to AURELIA, as it is in the Brébeuf Hymnal.

—Jeff Ostrowski

‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase

Father Adrian Porter, using the cracher dans la soupe example, did a praiseworthy job explaining the difference between ‘dynamic’ and ‘formal’ translation. This is something Monsignor Ronald Knox explained time and again—yet even now certain parties feign ignorance. I suppose there will always be people who pretend the only ‘valid’ translation of Mitigásti omnem iram tuam; avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuæ… would be “You mitigated all ire of you; you have averted from your indignation’s ire.” Those who would defend such a translation suffer from an unfortunate malady. One of my professors called it “cognate on the brain.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Father Cuthbert Lattey • “The Hebrew MSS”

Father Cuthbert Lattey (d. 1954) wrote: “In a large number of cases the ancient Christian versions and some other ancient sources seem to have been based upon a better Hebrew text than that adopted by the rabbis for official use and alone suffered to survive. Sometimes, too, the cognate languages suggest a suitable meaning for which there is little or no support in the comparatively small amount of ancient Hebrew that has survived. The evidence of the metre is also at times so clear as of itself to furnish a strong argument; often it is confirmed by some other considerations. […] The Jewish copyists and their directors, however, seem to have lost the tradition of the metre at an early date, and the meticulous care of the rabbis in preserving their own official and traditional text (the ‘massoretic’ text) came too late, when the mischief had already been done.” • Msgr. Knox adds: “It seems the safest principle to follow the Latin—after all, St. Jerome will sometimes have had a better text than the Massoretes—except on the rare occasions when there is no sense to be extracted from the Vulgate at all.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

“Our Father” • Musical Setting?

Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?

—Jeff Ostrowski

“I vividly remember going to church with him in Bournemouth. He was a devout Roman Catholic and it was soon after the Church had changed the liturgy (from Latin to English). My grandfather obviously didn’t agree with this and made all the responses very loudly in Latin while the rest of the congregation answered in English. I found the whole experience quite excruciating, but my grandfather was oblivious. He simply had to do what he believed to be right.”

— Simon Tolkien (2003)