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Views from the Choir Loft

Choral Extensions

Jeff Ostrowski · February 10, 2026

“Let the Choir Have a Voice” • Jeff Ostrowski’s Essay on Choral Music in the Catholic Mass

“In a world filled with a lot of noise, your sacred song lifts our hearts to heaven…” —Parishioner

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Jeff Ostrowski · December 23, 2025

💰 Are Church Musicians Paid Too Little?

I came very close to paying an unspeakably severe price.

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Jeff Ostrowski · December 1, 2025

PDF Download • Agnus Dei Polyphonic “Choral Extension” (Simple Round by Ravenscroft)

It’s hard to banish that round once it enters your ears!

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Jeff Ostrowski · November 25, 2025

Kid’s Repertoire • “Jeffrey’s 3 Recommendations”

Growing up, I remember hearing this adage…

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Jeff Ostrowski · November 24, 2025

PDF Download • ‘Choral Extension’ for the Sanctus (especially useful in the Ordinary Form)

It’d be easier to accept if they admitted they were explicitly contradicting Vatican II … but instead, they lied egregiously.

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Jeff Ostrowski · November 4, 2025

Never Work For A Priest Or Bishop Who Believes Sacred Music Should Be “Entertainment”

Unsolicited advice for prospective choir directors.

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Jeff Ostrowski · October 14, 2025

PDF Download • Liturgical Round (“Canon”) for your Children’s Choir

An example that’s truly great art, yet still within their reach.

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Jeff Ostrowski · September 9, 2025

“Novus Ordo Parish … With Polyphony?” • Is that possible? How specifically does that work?

Many have asked: “Without getting fired, how can choirmasters introduce polyphony to the Ordinary Form?”

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Jeff Ostrowski · September 7, 2025

PDF Download • Croft’s “Canonic Kyrie” (SATB)

The conscientious choirmaster never rests from his relentless pursuit of repertoire ideas.

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Jeff Ostrowski · April 15, 2025

PDF Download • Exceedingly Rare! — “The Torn Tunic” (122 pages) … published in 1967

Is Tito Casini correct that vernacular plainsong is a “sin against nature?”

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William J. Fritz · February 28, 2025

From Inspiration to Implementation • “Lenten Choral Extensions” (And a Free Gift!)

I decided to try something different for Lent…

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Jeff Ostrowski · January 29, 2025

Can Polyphony Be Added to the Ordinary Form?

Vatican II went out of its way to be explicit—which is good news for conscientious choirmasters.

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Jeff Ostrowski · October 8, 2024

PDF Download • Choral Extension! • (Corresponding to the “Holy, Holy, Holy” of the Missal Chants)

Probably one of the most valuable PDF scores we’ve ever released.

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Guest Author · January 3, 2017

New! • Easy Choral Extension Mass (Ordinary Form)

How to make polyphony work for your Ordinary Form Choir.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Citation Needed” • Dom Foote of ICEL
    Father Basil Foote, OSB, was organist at WESTMINSTER ABBEY MISSION (British Columbia, Canada). In 1984 he published an article called “Chanting in the Vernacular.” Twenty years later, it was republished by ADOREMUS—and that’s how it came to my attention. In that article, Dom Foote makes a claim I consider somewhat outlandish. At the very least, his statement with regard to the Latin accent needs some sort of citation. He has served on the Music Sub-Committee of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music List • “Corpus Christi” (Year A)

    The 28-page Singers’ Booklet is included. Our children’s choir will join us for this Mass.

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    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Rubric Challenge”
    The feast of Corpus Christi is special for TLM altar boys. On that day, two of us thurifers got to walk backwards while using the THURIBLE. (That American custom, if memory serves, is not strictly described in the rubrics.) A few weeks ago on the CCW Facebook Page we posted this screenshot from a 1915 Roman Catholic hymnal. The challenge is to guess what the rubric says, which we blocked from view with a red box. So far, nobody has guessed correctly. Feel free to guess! Our email address is listed at the bottom of each page. UPDATE: The answer has been revealed as of 8 June 2026.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Time and Again We Are Asked…
    John Baptist Singenberger (d. 1924) was a central figure of Catholic Church music. In this utterly fascinating excerpt (Single-Page PDF), Singenberger writes: Time and again we are asked: “Is the Gregorian chant to be accompanied by the organ?” As a young student in Saint Gall, Singenberger befriended SEBASTIAN GEBHARD MESSMER, the future Archbishop of Milwaukee (Wisconsin). The two graduated together in 1861. The school they attended (Saint George’s Seminary) was a “seminary”—but in the older European sense. In other words, it provided a classical education without necessarily leading to ordination. Singenberger remained a layman his whole life, but Messmer was eventually made archbishop—by Pope Saint Pius X—of the very archdiocese in Wisconsin where Singenberger would spend his American career, giving him a powerful ecclesiastical ally.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of June (2026)
    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). Since we were founded in 2006, not one of our board members has ever accepted any remuneration whatsoever—not a penny. 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. It couldn’t be easier to subscribe! Just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Thee” + “Thou” + “Thine”
    Few musicians realize that various English translations of Sacred Scripture were granted formal approval by the USCCB and the Vatican for liturgical use in the United States of America. But don’t take my word for it! Here are four documents proving this, which you can examine with your own eyes. Some believe the words “Thine” and “Thou” and “Thee” were forbidden after Vatican II—but that’s incorrect. For example, they’re found in the English translation of the ‘Our Father’ at Mass. Moreover, the Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition) mentioned in those four documents employs “Thine” and “Thou” and “Thee.” It was published with a FOREWORD by Westminster’s Roman Catholic Archbishop (John Cardinal Heenan).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Latin has been the language of the Latin liturgy for 1,600 years. It is a sign and source of unity as well as a defense of doctrine, not because of the language so much, but because it is a language no longer subject to changes. There are so many beautiful texts which can never have the same effectiveness in translation. Lastly, Latin is bound to an extremely precious heritage of melody, Gregorian chant and polyphony.”

— Cardinal Antonelli (Secretary of the Conciliar Commission on the Liturgy)

Recent Posts

  • Time and Again We Are Asked…
  • “Citation Needed” • Dom Foote of ICEL
  • “Should the People Sing in Parts?” • Weighing the Case for SATB Hymnals in the Pews
  • Revealed • “Answer to the Riddle”
  • Music List • “Corpus Christi” (Year A)

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