Views from the Choir Loft

Hymns Replacing Propers

Veronica Brandt · May 9, 2015

The difference between Anything and Everything.

Where free choice can lead to chaos or paralysis.

Jeff Ostrowski · April 29, 2015

Liturgical Silence—But Not What You Think!

When I was young, I would have tried to argue.

Fr. David Friel · April 26, 2015

A Criticism & Good News

Another Look at Fr. Weber’s “The Proper of the Mass”

Fr. David Friel · April 19, 2015

“Proper Of The Mass” (Ignatius Press) • Part 4 of 7

The Next Big Thing Is Here

Jeff Ostrowski · April 13, 2015

Nixon, Watergate, & Singing The Mass Propers

Ehrlichman, Haldeman, Dean, Nixon, and others made tons of money writing and speaking about Watergate.

Jeff Ostrowski · March 16, 2015

Hillary Clinton’s Emails & Mass Propers

Are you confused yet? You ought to be!

Jeff Ostrowski · March 10, 2015

Six Things To Know About USCCB Hymn Approval

It’s no secret. Anyone who’s been in Church music realizes what happens in 99% of Catholic parishes.

Aurelio Porfiri · March 3, 2015

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(7 of 7)

We should be more and more convinced that the Propers are “healthier” than alternative songs…

Cynthia Ostrowski · March 1, 2015

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(6 of 7)

The wife of a Church musician weighs in…

Dr. Lucas Tappan · February 24, 2015

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(4 of 7)

This year one, a seminarian from our parish is being ordained. He requested that we sing the Propers for his first Mass.

Veronica Brandt · February 21, 2015

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(2 of 7)

How modernism effects music and babies. And how UNICEF is like the Catholic Church.

Andrew Leung · February 21, 2015

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(3 of 7)

When the GIRM says “four options”, they really mean four preferences…

Jeff Ostrowski · February 16, 2015

Bishops Care When Their Names Are “Tacitly” Used

The current GIRM never mentions “tacit” approval.

Guest Author · February 9, 2015

“No Approval Needed for Substitute Songs” says USCCB • Exclusive Documentation

“After six months and 70+ letters, I received a letter from the chairman of Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy.” —Dan Craig

Jeff Ostrowski · February 2, 2015

Elvis Presley, Offertory Processions, & “Alius Cantus”

Offertory processions in the 1940s? Really?

Which Gospel Acclamations?

Some have asked which Gospel acclamations (“Alleluia”) we use at my church. We use this gorgeous printed resource available on AMAZON PRIME. Once both congregation and cantor have sung their parts, our choir launches into a beautiful SATB “choral extension” (cf. Saint Noël Chabanel Mass Setting).

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Entrance Chant” • Immaculate Conception

Download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the Immaculate Conception (9 December 2024). It’s in the third mode—which some consider the most beautiful of all—and mimics the authentic version in a laudable way. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, I attempted to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.

—Jeff Ostrowski

How Sharp Are Your Eyes?

Just around the corner is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The GREGORIAN MISSAL (Solesmes Abbey, 1990) is an utterly gorgeous book—there’s no question about that. But several typos did creep in. Can you spot the major typo for the ENTRANCE CHANT on the feast of the Immaculate Conception? How sharp are your eyes? If you succeed, send me an email letting me know.

—Jeff Ostrowski

The Breviary in the Life of the Laity

Recently I have been enjoying looking through the inaugural (1927) edition of a 20th-century liturgical magazine called Orate Fratres. The July 1927 issue included an excellent article by a Chicago laywoman named Ellen Gates Starr entitled “The Delights of the Breviary: From the Point of View of a Lay Woman.” As we in the 21st century have recently undergone a (blessed!) re-translation of the missal into English, and as we await with joyful hope (please God, before Jesus comes back!) a similar re-translation of the breviary, the opening of her article reminded me of that old saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Nearly a hundred years ago, she penned words that could just as easily have been written today: “It is indeed a privilege to be allowed any participation, however slight, in the liturgical movement in the Church – the movement to bring back the classics of devotion, the Missal and the Breviary, into general use by the laity. The wonder is that they should ever have fallen into disuse. Nothing can take the place of these great universal prayers of the Church, the prayers of the Mass and the divine Office. One has only to know them to find them indispensable. And alas, how few of the laity know them!” I know that I have been tremendously nourished by regular praying of the breviary as of late, and my wish is that you and I, dear reader, may continue to nourish our interior lives with the official prayer of the Church, which present to us (in the Mass) and extend (in the Office) the fullness of Christ’s greatest gift to us – the gift of Himself – in the Most Holy Eucharist.

—Daniel Tucker

Principles vs Preferences

I ran into this idea recently: principles vs. preferences in planning out a curriculum or music lineup. In this idea, it is imperative to not misconstrue personal preferences into principles—that the music (or subject matter) is great because: “I have good taste, and I like it.” De gustibus… Education, study and docility to the Magisterium of the Church on matters of liturgical music must be present in those who make the music at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Hours. Who knows? Maybe you might start to prefer the music that is fitting according to the principles Catholic Sacred Music?

—William J. Fritz

Liquescent Notes in the Official Edition

The official edition—the EDITIO VATICANA itself—is somewhat inconsistent when it comes to liquescent notes. If you wish to see a perfect “apples-to-apples” comparison, click here. Such “inconsistency” was not owing to ignorance on the part of Abbat Pothier: the manuscripts themselves are inconsistent when it comes to liquescent notes.

—Jeff Ostrowski