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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

Remembering Cardinal Virgilio Noè

Aurelio Porfiri · July 8, 2014

AM NOT SURE if the name of Cardinal Virgilio Noè is familiar to my readers. I think it should be. Virgilio Cardinal Noè (30 March 1922 – 24 July 2011) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate. In 1970, he was appointed the first Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations by Pope Paul VI, and continued on for some time under John Paul II. Indeed, if you look at a photo from 1979, you will see Saint John Paul II celebrating Mass at Yankee Stadium on one of his trips to the USA with Virgilio Noè at his side.

He was very involved in liturgical reforms, considered always on the progressive side, and served in several high level positions in the curia, including being Secretary for the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. John Paul II made him a cardinal in 1991 and it is because of this that I came to know him quite well.

In 1990 I started singing in the Capitular Choir at Saint Peter’s Basilica, and there in 1993 I was offered the position of substitute organist for the Vatican City Vicariate. Cardinal Noè became Archpriest of the Basilica in those years and was my superior. Maybe you think that he did not care, as many prelates, about who was playing and what was played. You would be hugely wrong. He would listen to everything that was sung and played, and at the end of the Mass would wait for the singers and organist in the sacristy to present them with a list of mistakes, according his own judgment. You may also think that he would just talk in general terms: you would be hugely wrong a second time. He would include the smallest of details, down to the number of seconds the organist should wait before starting the second part of a reciting tone in a psalm. One day, he was waiting for me in the sacristy and commented that my left hand did not know what my right hand was doing. It was his way of saying that I did not play very well that day.

CARDINAL NOÈ WAS AN IMPOSING FIGURE, respected and feared in the Curia. He was very kind in his dealings with other people, but wasn’t easy to approach. There was always a clear distance between him and others. Even if my liturgical sensitivity has developed in a way that is different from that of Cardinal Noè, I cannot deny that he taught me a lot. Among the things I cannot forget is the attention to detail and the need for care regarding the décor of liturgical rite.

He retired from his position as archpriest in 2002. He started to have health issues and was forced to a wheelchair. I visited him often, even after I relocated to Macau where I currently reside. Every time I visited Rome I would call and visit him in his apartment in Piazza della Citta’ Leonina, the same building as Cardinal Ratzinger. During my visits his attitude was different; I feel he was grateful that I still remembered him and he was always very happy to receive my books, many of them having something to do with liturgy. We talked about many things, including my difficulties and challenges in Asia. I enjoyed listening to him recall the people he met, many of them of historical importance.

Cardinal Virgilio Noè died in July of 2011, at the age of 89. He was a man of great culture, strong positions and ideas, and was one of the protagonists of a turbulent period in church history. What his legacy is will be asked to future historians.


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many of Mæstro Porfiri’s compositions in PDF format.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Cardinal Virgilio Noe Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Aurelio Porfiri

Renowned as composer, conductor, theorist, author, pedagogue, and organist, Aurelio Porfiri has served the Church on multiple continents at the highest levels. Born and raised in Italy, he currently serves as Director of Choral Activities and Composer in Residence for Santa Rosa de Lima School (Macao, China).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “21 September 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 21 September 2025) discusses some theological items—supported by certain verses in ancient Catholic hymns—and ends by explaining why certain folks become delirious with jealousy when they observe feats by Monsignor Ronald Knox.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
    It’s always amusing to see old diocesan newspapers—in huge capital letters—advertising the Cheapest Catholic Paper in the United States. The correspondent who sent this to me added: “I can think of certain composers, published by large companies in our own day, who could truthfully brag about the most tawdry compositions in the world!” I wonder what she could have meant by such a cryptic comment…
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • Dom Murray Harmonies
    Along with so many others, I have deep respect for Dom Gregory Gregory Murray, who produced this clever harmonization (PDF) of “O SANCTISSIMA.” It’s always amazed me that Dom Gregory—a truly inspired composer—was so confused when it came to GREGORIAN CHANT. Throughout his life, he published contradictory statements, veering back-and-forth like a weather vane. Toward the end of his life, he declared: “I see clearly that the need for reform in liturgical music arose, not in the 18th and 19th centuries, but a thousand years earlier—in the 8th and 9th centuries, or even before that. The abuses began, not with Mozart and Haydn, but with those over-enthusiastic medieval musicians who developed the elaborate and flamboyant Gregorian Chant.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Karl Keating • “Canonization Questions”
    We were sent an internet statement (screenshot) that’s garnered significant attention, in which KARL KEATING (founder of Catholic Answers) speaks about whether canonizations are infallible. Mr. Keating seems unaware that canonizations are—in the final analysis—a theological opinion. They are not infallible, as explained in this 2014 article by a priest (with a doctorate in theology) who worked for multiple popes. Mr. Keating says: “I’m unaware of such claims arising from any quarter until several recent popes disliked by these Traditionalists were canonized, including John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II. Usually Paul VI receives the most opprobrium.” Mr. Keating is incorrect; e.g. Father John Vianney, several centuries ago, taught clearly that canonizations are not infallible. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen would be another example, although clearly much more recent than Saint John Vianney.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Vatican II Changed Wedding Propers?
    It’s often claimed that the wedding propers were changed after Vatican II. As a matter of fact, that is a false claim. The EDITIO VATICANA propers (Introit: Deus Israel) remained the same after Vatican II. However, a new set of propers (Introit: Ecce Deus) was provided for optional use. The same holds true for the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great on 3 September: the 1943 propers (Introit: Si díligis me) were provided for optional use, but the traditional PROPRIA MISSAE (Introit: Sacerdótes Dei) were retained; they weren’t gotten rid of. The Ordo Cantus Missae (1970) makes this crystal clear, as does the Missal itself. There was an effort made in the post-conciliar years to eliminate so-called “Neo-Gregorian” chants, but (contrary to popular belief) most were retained: cf. the feast of Christ the King, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and so forth.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The council did not say Latin should be abolished. It said Latin should be used. […] While at Ecclesia Dei, I once received a letter from a chancery office in the United States, asking me if I didn’t know that the council had abolished Latin!”

— Cardinal Mayer, Prefect (1985–1988) of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship

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