Views from the Choir Loft

Bottega • Aurelio Porfiri

Aurelio Porfiri · June 23, 2014

URELIO PORFIRI OFFERS INSPIRATION to all who work with him. His attitude and gifts have taught me a lot and I owe him a great debt of gratitude. It is a great privilege to know and work with him.” — Colin Mawby (Westminster)

English

St. Augustine Mass • “Lord, Have Mercy” : 6166 (organist) • 6165 (vocalist) • (youtube)

St. Augustine Mass • “Holy, Holy, Holy” : 6164 (organist) • 6163 (vocalist) • (youtube)

St. Augustine Mass • “Lamb of God” : 6168 (organist) • 6167 (vocalist) • (youtube)

There’s A Wideness In God’s Mercy (Faber) : 6162 (organist) • 6161 (vocalist)

The Praises Of My Tongue (Watts) : 6160 (organist)

Hail Mary : 6170 (organist) • 6169 (vocalist)

Pentatonic Mass • “Glory To God” : 6157 (organist) • 6156 (vocalist)

Communion Antiphon (9th Sunday in Ordinary Time) : 6153 (organist) • 6152 (vocalist)

Gospel Acclamation for the Feast of Saint Francis : 5901 (organist)

English Responsorial Psalms

Rejoice In the Lord (Ps. 97) : 6116 (organist) • 6117 (vocalist)

Here Am I, Lord (Ps. 40) : 6159 (organist)

The Lord Is My Shepherd (Ps. 23) : 6155 (organist)

Have Mercy On Us, O Lord (Ps. 50) : 6158 (organist)

Italian

Presentation of the Gifts (1st Sunday of Advent) : 6142 (organist/cantor)

Introit (1st Sunday of Advent) : 6141 (organist) • 6140 (cantor)

6139 A te il regno

6138 A Te, Signore

6137 Angelo di Dio

6136 Ave Maria

6135 Io gioisco pienamente Magnificat

6134 Risuoni la mia bocca

Latin

Bone Pastor Panis Vere (From the Lauda Sion) : 6151 (SATB)

O Salutaris Hostia : 6115 (organist/vocalist)

Quid Retribuam Domino : 6114 (organist & vocal parts)

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

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).

6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski

2 January 2021 • Temptation

When I see idiotic statements made on the internet, I go nuts. When I see heretics promoted by people who should know better, I get angry. Learning to ignore such items is difficult—very difficult. I try to remember the words of Fr. Valentine Young: “Do what God places in front of you each day.” When I am honest, I don’t believe God wants me to dwell on errors and idiocy; there’s nothing I can do about that. During 2021, I will strive to do a better job following the advice of Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski

31 December 2020 • “COMITES CHRISTI”

The feasts for Saint Stephen Proto-Martyr (26 December), Saint John the Evangelist The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (27 December), and the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December) seem untouched by any liturgical reforms. These are very powerful feasts—I believe they once possessed octaves—and I believe they could sometimes “overpower” a Sunday feast. The rules for octaves in the olden days are extremely complex. These feasts are sometimes referred to as a single entity as: Comites Christi (“Companions of Christ”). This is just a guess, but there seems to be a triple significance: STEPHEN martyred after Christ lived, JOHN was a martyr who knew Christ personally, and the HOLY INNOCENTS were martyred before Christ’s birth.

—Jeff Ostrowski