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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

Articles

Jeff Ostrowski · February 18, 2023

Cardinal Roche on discouraging or limiting “ad orientem” celebration: “It is an absurdity”

Ponder this statement by the prefect for the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (a.k.a. “CDW”).

Jeff Ostrowski · February 15, 2023

PDF • 2014 Dissertation: “Plainchant Influence on the Liturgical Music of Dr. Marier” (324 pages)

This treatise (324 pages) is a “must read” for anyone who cares about liturgical music in the Catholic Church.

Patrick Williams · February 15, 2023

Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “Liturgical Recitative” (15 Feb 2023)

“May our voices be the instruments through which God breathes new life into the ancient chants of the Catholic Church, decrepit through centuries of neglect and misinterpretation!” —Patrick Williams

Jeff Ostrowski · February 11, 2023

Hymn for the Season of Septuagesima? • Yes!

Where did “Ordinary Time” come from?

Dr. Lucas Tappan · February 9, 2023

4 Tips • “Teaching & Nurturing Young Organists”

“Make it an unbreakable rule to ingrain the rudiments of music theory into the very bones of the beginning student, preferably before the age of nine or ten.” —Dr. Lucas Tappan

Jeff Ostrowski · February 8, 2023

PDF Download • Symposium Kyrie Revealed

People often complain: “Catholic priests won’t pay a living wage for choir directors, yet gladly pay millions to purchase a pipe organ.”

Jeff Ostrowski · February 7, 2023

Did Pope Francis Just Publicly Rebuke the Prefect of Divine Worship?

Arthur Cardinal Roche has not had an easy time of it lately.

Patrick Williams · February 7, 2023

Gregorian Rhythm Wars • “The Normal Syllabic Value” (6 Feb 2023)

“The problem with semiology is not that it neglects the rhythmic indications of the oldest sources, but rather that it overinterprets them, like the nuance theory on steroids.” —Patrick Williams

Jeff Ostrowski · February 4, 2023

Church Music Shouldn’t Be “Headache-Inducing”

Authentic sacred music should attract people. It should not drive them away.

Corpus Christi Watershed · February 1, 2023

Filling Up Fast! • Sacred Music Symposium

“The Sacred Music Symposium was a vehicle of grace that changed my life.” —2019 Participant

Jeff Ostrowski · January 31, 2023

PDF Download • Belgian Book of Gregorian Accompaniments (Official Edition)

We paid to have this extremely rare book scanned professionally.

Jeff Ostrowski · January 28, 2023

Crucial Tip For Choir Directors

Don’t listen to excuses!

Jeff Ostrowski · January 28, 2023

Father Herbert Thurston • “I Fear the Man With One Book”

“Sometimes there was the possibility to be faced that a particular line of research could never be followed to a successful conclusion because the evidence was now no longer available.”

Dr. Charles Weaver · January 26, 2023

What is the Tonic Accent?

We should define our terms. What makes a syllable accented, and what makes an accent a tonic accent?

Jeff Ostrowski · January 25, 2023

PDF Download • 1909 “Modern Notation” Gradual (Extremely Rare) — 712 Pages

The truth is stranger than fiction.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Music List • (4th Sunday of Lent)
    Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 4th Sunday of Lent (15 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has sublime propers. It is most often referred to as “Lætare Sunday” owing to its INTROIT. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Communion (4th Snd. Lent)
    The COMMUNION ANTIPHON for this coming Sunday, which is the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A), is particularly beautiful. There’s something irresistible about this tone; it’s neither happy nor sad. As always, I encourage readers to visit the flourishing feasts website, where the complete Propria Missae may be downloaded free of charge.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Flowers
    Good Friday has a series of prayers for various parties: the pope, catechumens, pagans, heretics, schismatics, and so forth. In the old liturgical books, there was no official ‘name’ for these prayers. (This wasn’t unusual as ‘headers’ and ‘titles’ for each section is a rather modern idea.) The Missal simply instructed the priest to go to the Epistle side and begin. In the SHERBORNE MISSAL, each prayer begins with a different—utterly spectacular—flower. This PDF file shows the first few prayers. Has anyone counted the ‘initial’ drop-cap flowers in the SHERBORNE MISSAL? Surely there are more than 1,000.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Stumped by “Episcopalian Hymnal” (1910)
    Some consider Songs of Syon (1910) the greatest Episcopalian hymnal ever printed. As a Roman Catholic, I have no right to weigh in one way or the other. However, this particular page has me stumped. I just know I’ve heard that tune somewhere! If you can help, please email me. I’m talking about the text which begins: “This is the day the Lord hath made; In unbeclouded light array’d.” The book is by George Ratcliffe Woodward, and its complete title is: Songs of Syon: A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. Back in 2016, Corpus Christi Watershed scanned and uploaded this insanely rare book. For years our website was the sole place one could download it as a PDF file.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Dies Irae” • A Monstrous Translation
    It isn’t easy to determine what Alice King MacGilton hoped to accomplish with her very popular book—A Study of Latin Hymns (1918)—which continued to be reprinted in new editions for at least 34 years. This PDF file shows her attempt to translate the DIES IRAE “in the fewest words possible.” There’s a place for dynamic equivalency, but this is repugnant. In particular, look what she does to “Quærens me sedísti lassus.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Holy, Holy, Holy”
    For vigil Masses on Saturday (a.k.a. “anticipated” Masses) we use this simpler setting of the “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Monsignor Jules Vyverman (d. 1989), a Belgian priest, organist, composer, and music educator who ultimately succeeded another ‘Jules’ (CANON JULES VAN NUFFEL) as director of the Lemmensinstituut in Belgium. Although I could be wrong, my understanding is that the LEMMENSINSTITUUT eventually merged with “Catholic University of Leuven” (originally founded in 1425). That’s the university Fulton J. Sheen attended.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“We turn to the East when we stand to pray, since this is where the sun and the stars rise. It is not, of course, as if God were there alone and had forsaken the rest of creation. Rather, when these earthly bodies of ours are turned towards the more excellent, heavenly bodies, our minds are thereby prompted to turn towards the most excellent being, that is, to our Lord.”

— Saint Augustine of Hippo

Recent Posts

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  • Stumped by “Episcopalian Hymnal” (1910)
  • Dr. Tappan • Answers + Analysis: My “Inquiry” For Music Directors (3,087 words)
  • Eucharistic Hymns for Your Choir

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