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.”
Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I’m not a fan of […]
Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that’s Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn’t sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I […]
If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don’t you agree?
Here’s a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you […]
“Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work […]
Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you’ll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly […]
The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father […]
A few weeks ago, dates were announced for Sacred Music Symposium 2023. The rehearsal videos are beginning to appear! For example, the KYRIE ELEYSON contains sections by Lassus, Victoria, and Palestrina. You can see and hear Part 1 at this link. Much more information about this wonderful conference will be released soon!
A choir member alerted my wife to this video by Scott Hahn. You perhaps recognize a piece that’s been highly promoted by Corpus Christi Watershed: viz. Father Guerrero’s “Sanctus” from Missa Iste Sanctus. I would be interested to learn which choir made the recording (which heavily abbreviates the piece) and whether they used our rehearsal […]
A few years ago, I had valuable books stolen. Recovery efforts with law enforcement have failed, so I’m reaching out to our readers. Can somebody help me obtain VOLUME II and VOLUME VIII of the Nova organi harmonia published in the 1940s and 1950s by the LEMMENSINSTITUUT? As far as I can tell, these volumes can’t […]
Jeff, thanks for the rare Gregorian accompaniments. I just love all the work you do! About 2 years ago, my parish made the decision to ditch all the contemporary Mass settings (Marty Haugen, and so forth) and to only use the Latin! We currently use the [name redacted of a disposable missal] … some of their accompaniments […]
Dear Mr. Ostrowski; I must politely disagree with your friend who said “absolutely nobody cares” about the rare books you share on the blog. The fact is, your raw enthusiasm for these resources teaches me (and presumably others) to care. I admit that sometimes the angles from which you present them—the amount of context, or […]
Here’s a handy organ accompaniment (PDF) in three different key signatures: MIDDLE, HIGH, and LOW. The Latin lyrics (“Silens Nox”) are courtesy of Father Valentine Young, OFM (d. 2020). The organ harmonies are very simple, yet beautiful. Those who desire such a thing may also download a Singer’s Version. For obvious reasons, the choir will […]
A very skilled conductor from another country—who recently posted a recording any conductor would be proud of, displaying a light, pleasant, and professional choral sound—wrote to us on 23 December 2022: “CCWatershed and the Sacred Music Symposia have made a great mark in my musical career and the sound you hear you can proudly say […]
People often ask: “Can Gregorian Chant include the congregation?” The answer is: Yes! Listen to this Live Recording from last Sunday (which was the 4th Sunday of Advent). That is one model—not the only model—demonstrating how a congregation could be included. It’s KYRIE XVII, traditionally sung during Advent.
