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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

Don’t Add Me, Please

Aurelio Porfiri · August 19, 2014

937 John XXIII 23 AM SURE that something similar has happened to you, also. One billion people are on Facebook, and without question it’s an interesting way to connect with people around the world. But there are downsides. Sometimes I receive a notification saying that some unknown person has “added you to the irritable bowel syndrome fans group.” Now, being very emotional, I may be familiar with this syndrome; but I’m not really a fan. And why would someone add me?

But even worse is to consider other scenarios. Sometimes, somebody adds you (without your consent) to a group for those appreciating something in which you don’t have the slightest interest. Then—inside the newsfeed—everyone receiving the news of your new affiliation will think that maybe they didn’t know you so well after all…

But, indeed, things are not so easy in this life. Even liturgically-speaking, we must decide where we wish to stand. It cannot be merely some priest (fresh out of seminary) adding you to the VATICAN II GROUP, implying you accept his version of the Vatican II fancies.

No, we need to decide where we want to be: and indeed the choice is compulsory. We must be with the Church, in the entirety of her history and tradition. We cannot follow the ideas of this or that priest—the pastoral revolution of this or that bishop—if they are saying goodbye to what the church should be about. Of course changes are always necessary, but we cannot live at the rhythm of revolutions. Change should grow organically from what was before, not deny the past for something new at any cost.

If someone tells you “Vatican II wants such-and-such,” ask him where this was said. Don’t be surprised when the answer comes back that it’s the “spirit of the council.” It is true: the Spirit blows where He wants, not where they want. But, they will not listen… and so perhaps it would make sense for you also to join me in the “irritable bowel syndrome” fans group…


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

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 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 the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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

“Indeed, we may not hope for real Latin poetry any more, because Latin is now a dead language to all of us. However well a man may read, write, or even speak Latin now, it is always a foreign language to him, acquired artificially. It is no one’s mother tongue. Does a man ever write real poetry in an acquired language?”

— Rev’d Adrian Fortescue (d. 1923)

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