Music for the Roman Missal

The International Commission on English in the Liturgy, while working on a new translation of the Roman Missal, assembled a small committee of expert musicians to prepare musical settings of the texts that are set to music in the 2002 Latin edition of the Missal. They were directed to follow as closely as practical the Gregorian melodies given with the Latin text. The Music Committee has worked closely with the translators.

The Commission has now approved settings for those parts of the Order of Mass that received recognitio from the Holy See in June 2008, in accord with Cardinal Arinze’s expressed wish that the publication of these texts ‘facilitate the devising of musical settings’. The Commission is now making these settings available on a secure website, accessible by a password, which has been communicated to the Chairmen of the Liturgy Commissions in each of ICEL’s Member and Associate-member Conferences. They will distribute the password as they see fit.

The Introduction, giving a rationale for the choices made, is accessible to all.

An updated version of the Introduction (18 May) is now available, which includes substantial changes in the section on the Preface tone.

For access to the music discussed in this report, please click here and enter the username and password provided by your national liturgical office

Work continues on music for the remainder of the Missal. This will be made available when the final texts are known.