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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

The Semiologist And The Unbeliever

Aurelio Porfiri · August 5, 2014

NCE UPON A TIME there was a man, an Italian man, a musician, making music for God. This musician liked Gregorian chant. He thought he knew how this famous chant should be performed and was always very suspicious of the so called “semiologists”.

Who are they? They promulgate an understanding of Gregorian chant which traces back to the work of the Solesmes Monk Eugene Cardine and his followers. Dom Eugene Cardine (1905–1988), a monk of the Abbey of Solesmes, shed a new light on the interpretation of the medieval neumes, showing that these neumes have not only a value for the reconstruction of the melodies but also shed a great light on the correct interpretation. But the musician, full of his knowledge, mocked these new interpreters of Gregorian chant. Not that he was really into Mocquerau either, having already considered those theories of interpretation worthy of being confined to the recesses of history. But semiology, please!

One day this unbelieving musician was invited to a concert in a beautiful roman church called Sant’Agostino, very near to Piazza Navona, one of the most popular tourist attractions of Rome. It was a chant concert, the choir was the female choir of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, and the conductor was Professor Nino Albarosa, a student of Cardine himself. The musician really did not want to go, but one of his friends sang in that choir and insisted he go. So when he sat in that beautiful church he was just hoping that this boring concert would finish as soon as possible, so he could attend to more worthy business.

But when Professor Albarosa moved his hand to give the cue for the first piece, it was like the angels themselves had gathered to sing together with an international choir that was voicing the praise of God in that very place. It was like the daily time, the Chronos, was suspended to make everyone enter in the time of eternity, the Aion. From that moment on the musician, like a new Saint Paul on the road to Damascus, converted wholeheartedly; understanding that if the angels themselves are singing, this theory cannot be wrong at all. And from that time on that musician, which you guessed, is me, and all present understood that chant is a gift from God; that dom Cardine was a great man and that Professor Albarosa is a great chant conductor; and all lived happily ever after. Alleluia. Amen.


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 Tagged With: Dom Eugène Cardine, Gregorian Semiology Last Updated: February 22, 2021

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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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President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). 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 feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“I have a great quarrel on with Dom Mocquereau over a very stiff book of his which we have translated & which a stupid American woman wants to be adapted to her understanding & terminology. It will be a little difficult to persuade the dear old man, for the lady is going to pay the piper. Truly money is at the root of all evils!”

— Dame Laurentia (talking about Justine Ward)

Recent Posts

  • Is this what the new “Youth Mass” looks like?
  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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