Views from the Choir Loft

New Sacred Music Magazine — “Altare Dei”

Fr. David Friel · October 27, 2016

UST RELEASED is the first edition of Altare Dei, a new magazine devoted to liturgy and sacred music. This new effort has been conceived by Maestro Aurelio Porfiri, known by our readers as a past contributor to these pages. Porfiri’s experience as a choir master, conductor, organist, and music theorist has prepared him well to serve as editor of this new publication.

There is not an overwhelming number of journals and magazines in the field of liturgy and sacred music. Still, what makes Altare Dei different and worth reading?

1. The magazine will include such varied content as articles, interviews, profiles, editorials, and announcements about major concerts, conferences, etc.

2. Each issue will also include a substantial insert of new music. This first issue includes 6 original pieces from 4 different composers, a total of 12 pages of music. Altare Dei would be worth purchasing for this feature alone.

3. Articles will appear in English, but they will include, by translation, contributions from beyond the Anglophone world.

4. The cost of the magazine is just €6 (roughly $7 USD). There are, moreover, no shipping fees, as the content is available for instant download.

Altare Dei will be distributed strictly in digital format through the website of Choralife music publisher. It is envisioned that Altare Dei will appear as a bi-monthly magazine. The first issue is available now for download.

I am pleased to have an article featured in this first October 2016 edition. Among the other contributors are many familiar names in the fields of sacred liturgy & music:

David Fagerberg (theology professor, University of Notre Dame); Peter Kwasniewski (professor & choirmaster, Wyoming Catholic College); Colin Mawby (composer & former conductor of Westminster Cathedral choir); Serafino Tognetti, CFD (monk & writer); Sr. Rosa Goglia (philosopher); Valentino Miserachs (composer & choirmaster, Santa Maria Maggiore); Mauro Visconti (composer); Rodolfo Papa (art historian & painter)

Download this inaugural edition here, and see the excellent content for yourself!

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

About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Luis Martínez Must Go!

Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]

—Jeff Ostrowski

Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!

A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!

—Jeff Ostrowski

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