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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

I Am Not A Contemporary

Aurelio Porfiri · July 15, 2014

HERE ARE SOME MOMENTS in which we feel compelled to be satisfied. This does not happen frequently, but in that rare blissful moment we try to enjoy it. So I want to tell you why I find myself in that “upper home of bliss” (Father Faber).

The life of a liturgical musician is very difficult, we find ourselves struggling to find the right place for us, one where we can affirm our own rights, which we have come to believe are also the rights of the liturgy. But there is a point we reach when we are tired, where we decide to go elsewhere, hoping that in other places we’ll at least be respected. So I looked at job offers, and that is why, (as you will see) I now find myself in the “upper home of bliss” (always Faber).

In many American parishes there are priests that look for someone able to conduct the “contemporary” choirs. It seems these choirs flourish in many parishes and colleges. “Good,” I say to myself, “contemporary means that choirs involved in the liturgical reform are singing good liturgical music of our time.” — “Indeed,” I reason, “there are composers that have the tools and knowledge to make good liturgical music in vernacular languages, music that must be considered contemporary.” In my heart however, I have some doubts about that. I think: “maybe they use contemporary in the sense of Stockausen, Berio, Ligeti?” Or maybe they will force me to conduct a Mass of John Cage (did he write a Mass?), with a communion song called 3’45” where we just open the score and stay in silence (considering the quality of most of the communion songs you can hear today in churches, that is already an advantage).

BEFORE APPROACHING THE MULTITUDE of priests and pastoral councils that are wholeheartedly offering these wonderful opportunities to people like me, I turn my eyes to YouTube trying to find comfort for my devastating doubts about what being “contemporary” means. I need to tell you: I feel I am contemporary, as I feel I am alive (at least most of the time). So, looking in hope to my beloved YouTube, I search for contemporary choirs in churches and a multitude of videos pour down from tiny strands of the web! Feeling blessed and more and more curious, I click on one, hoping not to get any casual music or abstract sonorities but good liturgical music from good contemporary composers that follow the requirements for good liturgical music confirmed in many documents and pastoral letters.

But… wait… “What is this?” I asked, as some kind of 70s music began with roaming guitars and invading percussion, and someone singing a contorted melody with a microphone implanted directly in his throat! “No,” I say, (double checking the video description) “despite its good quality, this is some old video.” But I am wrong, the video was uploaded one month before. So… this is contemporary Catholic music for many American priests. In this case then, I am not a contemporary musician, because my music for the church still obeys rules. Rules, that make the same music sound completely different from this. But accepting the framework these priests establish, it is not contemporary.

OKAY, okay! I will walk as a wanderer trying to figure out who I am! But before submerging myself in the darkness of time, I have a question for all these priests and pastoral councils that are so supportive of contemporary groups: how come all the Popes thunder against consumerism in our society and you are accepting one of its pillars, commercial music, right in the heart of our liturgies?


BOTTEGA • Aurelio Porfiri is where you can discover
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 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

    Latin Liturgy Association
    We note with pleasure that Mrs. Regina Morris, president of the Latin Liturgy Association, has featured—on page 4 of Volume CXXIX of their official newsletter—the three (3) terrific versions of the Stations of the Cross found in the Brébeuf Hymnal. One of the main authors for the blog of the Church Music Association of America said (6/10/2019) about this pew book: “It is such a fantastic hymnal that it deserves to be in the pews of every Catholic church.”
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Music List” • 28th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 12 October 2025, which is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the dazzling feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on which source text is chosen and what each translator wants to emphasize. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 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 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The representative Protestant collection, entitled “Hymns, Ancient and Modern”—in substance a compromise between the various sections of conflicting religious thought in the Establishment—is a typical instance. That collection is indebted to Catholic writers for a large fractional part of its contents. If the hymns be estimated which are taken from Catholic sources, directly or imitatively, the greater and more valuable part of its contents owes its origin to the Church.

— Orby Shipley (1884)

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