Less is more: Selected Writings on Choral Music

by Aurelio Porfiri

In my experience, there are already many books about choral music in the English language, books that I have, in part, consulted and for which I have respect. Nevertheless, often these books have a "functionalistic approach", meaning they focus primarily on "how" to do things, but very seldom discuss the reasons "why". In most of the articles herein, I have attempted to reflect on this often overlooked, but nonetheless important, question of "why". The rationale behind this approach is that if we focus too much on the way we are doing things, we risk losing sight of why we are undertaking them in the first place. This is not to say I understand everything about choral music, but I have tried to humble myself in a holy fear (initium sapientiae timor Domini, the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord), so to better listen to what the mystery of music reveals to me. Some of my articles are longer and others are shorter; some are more musicological and others are more about aesthetics.Sometimes music is considered simply as a way to make money, to gain a certain position, or to assist with personal issues. Fair enough, but while these are certainly aspects of music, they are not everything we need to know about it. Indeed, these elements are not even very important, and are incidental at best. In my experiences, I have tried to understand something more about music, and choral music in particular, which is the field I know best. My hope is that you benefit from reading these articles as much as I benefited from writing them.Table of ContentIntroductionIntepretatioLess is MoreMusic is Not only About MusicOn AccentSilentiumWhat a Conductor is NotThe Issue of Modernity in Choral MusicThe Aesthetic of How the Beauty of a Gesture Affects PerformanceMissing the Gregorian Chant and SemiologySystem Theory and Choral MusicFor a Theology of A Cappella MusicRecent Trends of A Cappella Music around the WorldMaking Music in the Dragon's An Italian Priest and Macau in the 1920sMusic is The Life and Choral Music of Domenico BartolucciBibliography

106 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2018