Sacred Music | Benedict XVI Society

The Church’s Prayer

A privileged means of participating in the sacred mystery.

‘Indelibly impressed in my memory, for instance, is how, when the first notes of Mozart's Coronation Mass sounded, Heaven virtually opened and the presence of the Lord was experienced very profoundly.’

— Pope Benedict XVI, Castel Gandolfo, 4 July 2015

Musical Heritage

Music within the liturgy.

Pope Benedict XVI consistently emphasized that sacred music is not an addition to the liturgy, but an expression of the Church’s prayer. This section explores the musical heritage of the Church and supports its continued cultivation as a privileged means of participating in the sacred mystery.

Gregorian Chant

Pope St Pius X, in the letter Tra Le Sollecitudini (1903) called Gregorian chant the supreme model for the Church’s liturgical music – the closer a piece of music is to Gregorian chant, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes. To ‘sing the Mass’ properly speaking means to sing those chants which belong to the proper of the Mass. For this reason the Second Vatican Council ordered that Gregorian chant should be given pride of place in liturgical services (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 116) and called for a renewal of the Gregorian chant books and the production of a book of simpler chant melodies for smaller churches, in accord with the wishes of St Pius X that ‘Special efforts are to be made to restore the use of the Gregorian Chant by the people, so that the faithful may again take a more active part’. Here you will find resources for choirs and singers to learn and make use of Gregorian Chant.

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Sacred Polyphony

Closely allied to Gregorian chant is Sacred Polyphony, in which the texts of the Mass and Sacred Scripture, and the prayers of the saints, are sung in harmony – with several distinct vocal lines coming together into a cohesive whole. The great masters of the renaissance and the counter reformation pioneered this style of music, which endures and continues to be written today. St Pius X, and the Second Vatcian Council list polyphony alongside Gregorian chant, as music most fitting for the liturgy.

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Choir Formation

Bringing the treasures of Gregorian Chant and Sacred Polyphony back into use in parishes and Catholic communities takes time and dedication, not least from choirs and their directors. Here we will share training courses and materials for choirs and choir directors.

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Schools and Youth

If Gregorian Chant, Sacred Polyphony, and traditional hymnody is to take root in the Liturgy again, special effort must be taken to communicate it to children and young adults – especially in Catholic Schools. Successive Popes have urged pastors to form a Schola Cantorum (school of singing) in parishes, schools and seminaries, so that the young might learn and love Church music. Here you will find resources to help those wanting to begin teaching chant and sacred music to children.