A Church Musician's Reading List

A little more than a month ago, I gave a talk on sacred music in the Diocese of Scranton, PA. As part of my presentation, I offered to the attendees a list of materials that are helpful in aiding one in the understanding of sacred music. I now offer it here for your benefit. I emphasize that this is not an exhaustive list, but rather a place where one might start.

You'll notice immediately that this list includes books about the liturgy in general. This is probably obvious to most of you, but for those who might not understand why, the church musician needs to know as much about the liturgy as possible since the music must harmonize with it.

Choir directors might wish to share all or part of this list with their singers.

Essential Liturgical

The II Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium
–Can be found at: http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/V2LITUR.HTM

The General Instruction on the Roman Missal
–Can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/revmissalisromanien.shtml

Elliot, Peter J. The Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite (Ignatius Press)

______. Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year (Ignatius Press)

Fortescue, Adrian. The Mass (Loreto)

Ratzinger, Joseph. The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius)


General Liturgical

Ratzinger, Joseph. The Feast of Faith (Ignatius)

_____. A New Song for the Lord (in only a few chapters) (Crossroad)

Reid, Alcuin. The Organic Development of the Liturgy (Ignatius)

Robinson, Jonathan. The Mass and Modernity (Ignatius)

Nichols, Aidan. Looking at the Liturgy (Ignatius)


Specialized Liturgical

Berger, David. Thomas Aquinas and the Liturgy (sapientiapress.org)

Dix, Gregory. The Shape of the Liturgy (Dacre Books)

Duffy, Eamon. The Stripping of the Altars (Yale University Press)


Essential Chant Resources

Marier, Theodore. A Gregorian Chant Masterclass

Tucker, Jeffrey and Arlene Oost-Zinner. An Idiot’s Guide to Square Notes
–Found at: http://ceciliaschola.org/pdf/squarenotes.pdf

Graduale Romanum. Book of the liturgical chants for all the Masses of the year. In Latin.
–Available at: http://www.canticanova.com/catalog/products/g_graduale_r.htm

English Chant Project. Contact: The Rev. Samuel F. Weber, OSB,Wake Forest University Divinity School, Box 7719 - Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7719.

Graduale Simplex. Simpler chants for the Mass for smaller churches.
–Available at: http://www.canticanova.com/catalog/products/g_graduale_s.htm

Church Music Association of America. http://www.musicasacra.com
–Many, many free chant downloads (including all the Communion antiphons of
the year with their Psalm tones), articles, and educational materials.
Take time to browse thoroughly.


General Musical

St. Pius X. Tra le sollecitudini
–Found at: http://www.adoremus.org/TraLeSollecitudini.html

Pius XII. De musica sacra et sacra liturgia
–Found at: http://www.adoremus.org/1958Intro-sac-mus.html

Instruction on Sacred Music Musicam Sacram
–Found at: http://www.adoremus.org/MusicamSacram.html

John Paul II. Chirograph on Sacred Music
–Found at: http://www.adoremus.org/Chirograph-SacredMusic.html


Skeris, Robert, ed. Cum Angelis Canere (festschrift for Msgr. Richard Schuler)

Overath, Johannes, ed. Sacred Music and Liturgy Reform after Vatican II Published by the
CMAA. (musicasacra.com)


Specialized Musical

Apel, Willi. Gregorian Chant (ISBN 0-253-32650-8)

Skeris, Robert. Divini Cultus Studium (in English; only the title is Latin)

_______. Chroma theou (All of Skeris’ books published by CMAA)


Free Sources of Polyphonic Music

Choral public domain library. http://www.cpdl.org