Views from the Choir Loft

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). Read more.

Aurelio Porfiri · October 5, 2015

Something Unexpected

Music is not and cannot be neutral.

Aurelio Porfiri · July 29, 2015

“When You See Rome, You Will Lose Your Faith.”

Only the blind can avoid facing this reality: the biggest liturgical crisis is in Rome.

Aurelio Porfiri · June 13, 2015

Optimists & Pessimists

There was a standard commonly accepted, so what was strange and of out of place felt that way.

Aurelio Porfiri · April 29, 2015

Music That Hurts

“Was it not jealousy for the honor of thy house that consumed me? Was it not uttered against thee, the reproach I bore?”

Aurelio Porfiri · March 17, 2015

The Real Enemy: Mediocrity

“Real liturgy is for daring hearts, not for uninspired mediocrities.” —Aurelio Porfiri

Aurelio Porfiri · March 3, 2015

Permission Needed to Replace the Propers?—(7 of 7)

We should be more and more convinced that the Propers are “healthier” than alternative songs…

Aurelio Porfiri · January 27, 2015

Understanding

“Immanentism means there is no reality beyond what we know…” —Aurelio Porfiri

Aurelio Porfiri · January 20, 2015

Showing Off During Mass

“Many years ago I had a spiritual director that gave me a lesson that I have never forgotten…” —Aurelio Porfiri

Aurelio Porfiri · January 12, 2015

The Verge Of The Abyss

“Fellow church musicians, rejoice and be glad!” —Aurelio Porfiri

Aurelio Porfiri · January 5, 2015

L’Anima Mia Ha Sete Sung By Music School In Rome

Recorded for Vatican Radio with organist Aurelio Porfiri. Conducted by Sister Dolores Aguirre.

Aurelio Porfiri · December 29, 2014

Video: “Make Me To Know Your Ways, O Lord”

A hauntingly beautiful composition by Aurelio Porfiri. How wonderful to hear God’s praises resound in Macau, China!

Aurelio Porfiri · December 22, 2014

Remembering Domenico Cardinal Bartolucci

My teacher and inspiration…

Aurelio Porfiri · December 15, 2014

Risuoni La Mia Bocca

Liturgical song composed in honor of Saint Cecilia and performed in Rome.

Aurelio Porfiri · December 8, 2014

A Meeting With Angela Ambrogetti

In Rome, Aurelio Porfiri interviews a respected Vaticanist about the Pope, Curia, and more.

Aurelio Porfiri · December 1, 2014

Exclusive Interview • Msgr. Valentino Miserachs (Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome)

“What is the role of Liturgical Music?”

Music List • (2nd Sunday of Lent)

Readers have expressed interest in seeing the ORDER OF MUSIC I created for this coming Sunday, which is the 2nd Sunday of Lent (1 March 2026). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. This feast has magnificent propers. Its somber INTROIT is particularly striking—using a haunting tonality—but the COMMUNION with its fauxbourdon verses is also quite remarkable. I encourage all the readers to visit the feasts website, where the Propria Missae may be downloaded completely free of charge.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Like! Like! Like!

You won’t believe who recently gave us a “like” on the Corpus Christi Watershed FACEBOOK PAGE. Click here (PDF) to see who it was. We were not only sincerely honored, we were utterly flabbergasted. This was truly a resounding endorsement and unmistakable stamp of approval.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Which Mass?

In 1905, when the Vatican Commission on Gregorian Chant began publishing the EDITIO VATICANA—still the Church’s official edition— they assigned different Masses to different types of feasts. However, they were careful to add a note (which began with the words “Qualislibet cantus hujus Ordinarii…”) making clear “chants from one Mass may be used together with those from others.” Sadly, I sometimes worked for TLM priests who weren’t fluent in Latin. As a result, they stubbornly insisted Mass settings were ‘assigned’ to different feasts and seasons (which is false). To understand the great variety, one should examine the 1904 KYRIALE of Dr. Peter Wagner. One should also look through Dom Mocquereau’s Liber Usualis (1904), in which the Masses are all mixed up. For instance, Gloria II in his book ended up being moved to the ‘ad libitum’ appendix in the EDITIO VATICANA.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Extreme Unction

Those who search Google for “CCCC MS 079” will discover high resolution images of a medieval Pontificale (“Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 079”). One of the pages contains this absolutely gorgeous depiction of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

—Corpus Christi Watershed

PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”

I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)

I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.

—Jeff Ostrowski