Views from the Choir Loft

Articles

Cynthia Ostrowski · December 25, 2014

Catholic Line Art, Black and White • Installment #63

Today’s installment is from the first Mass of Christmas.

Jeff Ostrowski · December 24, 2014

Musical Resources • Christmas Midnight Mass

We will NOT be singing “Frosty The Snowman” for Offertory!

Jeff Ostrowski · December 24, 2014

“Don’t Cross Out Christ On Christmas” — Wrong!

This myth shows great ignorance of ancient (Roman Catholic) manuscripts!

Andrew R. Motyka · December 24, 2014

Only the Dawn

Beginning with Christmas, we celebrate a new era…

Guest Author · December 23, 2014

More On Secular Music At Mass … John Lennon?

It might just be my imagination, but isn’t the John Lennon’s “So this is Christmas” the same as that Alleluia?

Jeff Ostrowski · December 23, 2014

PDF Download: Rossini “Parochial Hymnal” (1936)

Your Christmas present from Corpus Christi Watershed!

Guest Author · December 22, 2014

PDF Download: Father Charles Dreisoerner’s “Graduale Romanum” In English (202 pages)

Did you know the entire Roman Gradual was set to English texts in 1984?

Aurelio Porfiri · December 22, 2014

Remembering Domenico Cardinal Bartolucci

My teacher and inspiration…

Jeff Ostrowski · December 22, 2014

Pope Paul VI • “Sacrificum Laudis” (15 Aug 1966)

The most progressive pope imaginable who’s given the Church a new direction? Are they aware of this letter?

Fr. David Friel · December 21, 2014

Progressive Solemnity

A Reverse Concept?

Corpus Christi Watershed · December 20, 2014

Sixteen (16) Christmas Carols … In Latin!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer … Hark! The Herald Angels Sing … Jingle Bells … White Christmas … and more!

Jeff Ostrowski · December 19, 2014

Musical Resources • 4th Sunday of Advent

Christmas draws nigh!

Richard J. Clark · December 19, 2014

I am a fraud: A Life of Service

The richness of liturgical worship is what draws may of us in –- for life.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · December 18, 2014

A Fond Farewell

Changes in my personal life have made it necessary for me to curtail my blogging activity, and so this blog will be my last—at least for a time.

Jeff Ostrowski · December 18, 2014

PDF Download: Dominican Breviary From 1967

The book is so large, it must be downloaded in sections.

A Spanish Hymn for Lent

A hymn called Dieron Muerte Al Heredero (PDF) is being considered for inclusion in the Cantoral del Padre Antonio Daniel. The harmonization for HALTON HOLGATE in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal is very much the “standard” one found in most of the major English Hymnals, but this version uses a ‘keyboard’ accompaniment instead.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Music List” • 1st Sunday of Lent

Some have expressed interest in perusing the “ORDER OF MUSIC” I prepared for the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year C (9 March 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. During Lent, the pipe organ is greatly reduced. Therefore, I marked a red “X” on all the pieces we’re singing a cappella.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Kyrie Setting” we’re doing for Lent

During Lent, we’re singing the KYRIE polyphony from the Mass in Honor of Saint Noël Chabanel. There are various pieces of information (and variations) on that website. Therefore, to make it easy to find—since choirs appreciate “no hassle” scores—here are the parts: (a) The Ordinary Form musical score (PDF) is based on the EF score; (b) Soprano Voice rehearsal video is here; (c) Alto Voice rehearsal video is here; (d) Tenor Voice rehearsal video is here; (e) Bass Voice rehearsal video is here; (f) Equal Voices rehearsal video is here.

—Jeff Ostrowski

The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum

Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.

—Daniel Tucker

Antiphons Don’t Match?

A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music).

—Corpus Christi Watershed

The Lofty Nature of This Goal

It is important above all that we never lose sight of our true goal as church musicians: the right worship of Almighty God. This is not a pious sentiment that should cause us to be lax about technical elements of music. Rather, the lofty nature of this goal is should motivate and inspire us to pursue the techne of musicianship with even greater zeal.

—Dr. Samuel Backman