List of Roman Catholic Church musicians
Encyclopedia
List of Roman Catholic Church musicians is a list of people who perform or compose Catholic music, a branch of Christian music
. Names should be limited to those whose Catholicism affected their music and should preferably only include those musicians whose works have been performed liturgically
in a Catholic service, or who perform specifically in a Catholic religious context.
Composers who wrote Catholic sacred music
Note: The term classical music
has been used broadly to describe many eras which do not fit the label. Initially the term specifically meant 1730–1820 (the Classical period
), but for this list the period from the Baroque period
to the modern era will be included in this section. This is because Renaissance and especially Medieval music tends to be dominated, in the West, by Catholic religious music.
is a group of composers strongly linked to the Vatican and the Council of Trent
. Many of them were, or became, priests. Although much of their work is too early to be mentioned here it did survive into the early Baroque. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
is generally seen as the most famous member. As a list of members is in the article on the subject, repetition of names in it should be normally avoided. Although Palestrina is notable enough to be in both.
. Andrea Amici (b. 1972) has written Gregorian-based music of high quality.
Contemporary Catholic musicians tend toward two main forms of expression: liturgical and non-liturgical. In a liturgical context, music is performed in a manner intended to heighten the spiritual atmosphere of a liturgical service, such as during Sunday mass, Eucharistic adoration or Stations of the Cross. The non-liturgical context, though very much worshipful, usually takes the form of a concert without the presence of a liturgical service. Non-liturgical settings are mainly focused on building Christian fellowship within Catholic communities. Non-liturgical artists find the opportunity to uniquely share their faith through their personal lyrics, and directly to audiences between songs. Though Catholic musicians tend toward one expression over the other, many will minister within both expressions with the appropriate music styles.
The following popular composers and performers are of note:
W. Keith Moore artist from Oxford Mississippi, seen on The Journey Home, Dana and Friends, Walk for Life, singer/songwriter
Note: It is difficult to find an existing list of Catholic emcees (rappers) and DJs. This is an attempt to create an exhaustive list of said artists. Some of these artists are listed above under "Non-liturgical Artists." Most of these artists are affiliated with www.phatmass.com.
, Dan Schutte
, and the St. Louis Jesuits
. For more details, see Contemporary Catholic liturgical music
. Two thirds of American Catholic Parishes now use this style of music in their liturgies. A recent trend has turned to pieces based on Gregorian chant, and liturgical projects like the Chabanel Psalms.
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
. Names should be limited to those whose Catholicism affected their music and should preferably only include those musicians whose works have been performed liturgically
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
in a Catholic service, or who perform specifically in a Catholic religious context.
Traditional and hymnal
- Paolo AgostinoPaolo AgostinoPaolo Agostino was an Italian composer and organist of the early Baroque era. He was born perhaps at Vallerano, near Viterbo. He studied under Giovanni Bernardino Nanino, according to the dedication in the third and fourth books of his masses...
, all his surviving works are religious. - Vittoria AleottiVittoria AleottiVittoria Aleotti , believed to be the same as Raffaella Aleotti was an Italian Augustinian nun, a composer and organist.-Personal Life and Musical Growth:...
, Augustinian nun and composer. - Giovenale AncinaGiovenale AncinaGiovanni Giovenale Ancina was an Italian priest, scholar and music composer, known also as an orator. He was beatified in the late nineteenth century....
, Beatified writer of spiritual songs. - Caterina AssandraCaterina AssandraCaterina Assandra was an Italian composer and Benedictine nun. She was born in Pavia, Italy. She wrote a number of motets, as well as a number of organ pieces, written in German tablature. She studied counterpoint with the German Catholic exile Benedetto Re, or Reggio, one of the leading teachers...
, Benedictine nun and composer. - Thoinot ArbeauThoinot ArbeauThoinot Arbeau is the anagrammatic pen name of French cleric Jehan Tabourot . Tabourot is most famous for his Orchésographie, a study of late sixteenth-century French Renaissance social dance...
, Catholic priest who composed the originally secular Ding Dong Merrily on HighDing Dong Merrily on High"Ding Dong Merrily on High" is a Christmas carol. The tune first appeared as a secular dance tune known as "le branle de l'Official" in Orchésographie, a dance book written by Jehan Tabourot...
. - Jean de BrébeufJean de BrébeufJean de Brébeuf was a Jesuit missionary, martyred in Canada on March 16, 1649.-Early years:Brébeuf was born in Condé-sur-Vire, Normandy, France. He was the uncle of the fur trader Georges de Brébeuf. He studied near home at Caen. He became a Jesuit in 1617, joining the Order...
, A CanonizedCanonizationCanonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
JesuitSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
who composed the Huron CarolHuron CarolThe "Huron Carol" is a Canadian Christmas hymn , written in 1643 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Canada. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia"...
. - William ByrdWilliam ByrdWilliam Byrd was an English composer of the Renaissance. He wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard and consort music.-Provenance:Knowledge of Byrd's biography expanded in the late 20th century, thanks largely...
, English Catholic (in the era of Elizabeth I and the Stuarts), composer of 5 polyphonic masses and other sacred music. - Hermannus ContractusHermannus ContractusHermann of Reichenau , also called Hermannus Contractus or Hermannus Augiensis or Herman the Cripple, was an 11th century scholar, composer, music theorist, mathematician, and astronomer. He composed the Marian prayer Alma Redemptoris Mater...
, the Alma Redemptoris MaterAlma Redemptoris MaterAlma Redemptoris Mater is a Marian hymn and one of four liturgical Marian antiphons , and sung at the end of the office of Compline. Hermannus Contractus is said to have authored the hymn based on the writings of Ss. Fulgentius, Epiphanius, and Irenaeus of Lyon...
said to have been written by him. - Tommaso da Celano, Dies IraeDies IraeDies Irae is a thirteenth century Latin hymn thought to be written by Thomas of Celano . It is a medieval Latin poem characterized by its accentual stress and its rhymed lines. The metre is trochaic...
- Orlando de Lassus, late Renaissance composer polyphonic masses and sacred music.
- Guillaume de MachautGuillaume de MachautGuillaume de Machaut was a Medieval French poet and composer. He is one of the earliest composers on whom significant biographical information is available....
, medieval French composer. - Cristobal de MoralesCristóbal de MoralesCristóbal de Morales was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Victoria.- Life :...
, Renaissance Spanish composer of sacred music. - Josquin des PrezJosquin Des PrezJosquin des Prez [Josquin Lebloitte dit Desprez] , often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance...
, composer of Renaissance polyphonic masses and sacred music. - Guillaume DufayGuillaume DufayGuillaume Dufay was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance. As the central figure in the Burgundian School, he was the most famous and influential composer in Europe in the mid-15th century.-Early life:From the evidence of his will, he was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of...
, worked for the Papal chapel, composer of Renaissance polyphonic masses and sacred music. - John Dunstaple or Dunstable, early Renaissance English composer of polyphonic sacred music.
- Frederick William Faber, Catholic convert who wrote Catholic hymns like Faith of Our Fathers.
- Giovanni GabrieliGiovanni GabrieliGiovanni Gabrieli was an Italian composer and organist. He was one of the most influential musicians of his time, and represents the culmination of the style of the Venetian School, at the time of the shift from Renaissance to Baroque idioms.-Biography:Gabrieli was born in Venice...
, late Renaissance/early Baroque Italian composer who composed much sacred music. - Jacobus GallusJacobus GallusJacobus Gallus Carniolus was a late Renaissance composer of Slovenian ethnicity...
, A SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n composer of sacred music and member of the Cistercians. - Joseph GelineauJoseph GelineauJoseph Gelineau was a French Catholic Jesuit priest and composer, mainly of modern Christian liturgical music....
, French composer of Gelineau psalmodyGelineau psalmodyGelineau psalmody is a method of singing the Psalms that was developed in France by Catholic Jesuit priest Joseph Gelineau around 1953, with English translations appearing some ten years later...
and music for the Taizé CommunityTaizé CommunityThe Taizé Community is an ecumenical monastic order in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France. It is composed of about 100 brothers who come from Protestant, Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions. The brothers come from about 30 countries across the world. The monastic order has a strong...
. - Carlo GesualdoCarlo GesualdoCarlo Gesualdo, known as Gesualdo di Venosa or Gesualdo da Venosa , Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, was an Italian nobleman, lutenist, composer, and murderer....
, late Renaissance Italian composer, most famous for madrigals, but also composed some sacred music. - Francisco GuerreroFrancisco GuerreroFrancisco Guerrero was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He was born and died in Seville.Guerrero's early musical education was with his older brother Pedro. He must have been an astonishing prodigy, for at the age of 17 he was already appointed maestro de capilla at Jaén Cathedral...
, late Renaissance Spanish composer of both sacred and secular music. - Hildegard of BingenHildegard of BingenBlessed Hildegard of Bingen , also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath. Elected a magistra by her fellow nuns in 1136, she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and...
, Benedictine abbess and one of the earliest known female composers. - HucbaldHucbaldHucbald was a Frankish music theorist, composer, teacher, writer, hagiographer, and Benedictine monk...
, ninth century BenedictineBenedictineBenedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
composer and music theorist. - Luca MarenzioLuca MarenzioLuca Marenzio was an Italian composer and singer of the late Renaissance. He was one of the most renowned composers of madrigals, and wrote some of the most famous examples of the form in its late stage of development, prior to its early Baroque transformation by Monteverdi...
, Madrigale spiritualeMadrigale spiritualeA madrigale spirituale is a madrigal, or madrigal-like piece of music, with a sacred rather than a secular text... - Domenico MustafàDomenico MustafaDomenico Mustafà was an Italian castrato singer, composer and choir director. He was born in the comune of Sellano, province of Perugia....
, CastratoCastratoA castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
composer for the Sistine Chapel choir. - Johannes OckeghemJohannes OckeghemJohannes Ockeghem was the most famous composer of the Franco-Flemish School in the last half of the 15th century, and is often considered the most...
, composer of Renaissance polyphonic masses. - Frederick OakeleyFrederick OakeleyFrederick Oakeley was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England the sixth son of Sir Charles Oakeley, second baronet, and educated at Christ Church, Oxford. He was ordained in 1828 and in 1845 converted from Church of England to Catholicism, whereupon he became Canon of Westminster in 1852....
, convert who translated Adeste FidelesAdeste Fideles"Adeste Fideles" is a hymn tune attributed to English hymnist John Francis Wade . The text itself has unclear beginnings, and may have been written in the 13th century by John of Reading, though it has been concluded that Wade was probably the author.The original four verses of the hymn were... - Paul the DeaconPaul the DeaconPaul the Deacon , also known as Paulus Diaconus, Warnefred, Barnefridus and Cassinensis, , was a Benedictine monk and historian of the Lombards.-Life:...
, Benedictine who wrote Ut queant laxisUt queant laxisUt queant laxis or Hymnus in Ioannem are verses in honour of John the Baptist written in Horatian Sapphics by Paulus Diaconus, the eighth century Lombard historian...
. - Giovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
, late Renaissance Italian composer of polyphonic sacred music, considered by many the greatest such composer, "a tremendous influence on the development of Catholic Church music." - Thomas TallisThomas TallisThomas Tallis was an English composer. Tallis flourished as a church musician in 16th century Tudor England. He occupies a primary place in anthologies of English church music, and is considered among the best of England's early composers. He is honoured for his original voice in English...
, devoutly Catholic composer of polyphonic church music in Tudor England. "The earliest works by Tallis that survive are devotional antiphons to the Virgin Mary." - Tomás Luis de VictoriaTomás Luis de VictoriaTomás Luis de Victoria, sometimes Italianised as da Vittoria , was the most famous composer of the 16th century in Spain, and one of the most important composers of the Counter-Reformation, along with Giovanni da Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. Victoria was not only a composer, but also an...
, late Renaissance Spanish composer of polyphoic sacred music, a priest at Descalzas RealesDescalzas RealesThe Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales is a royal monastery situated in Madrid, Spain, administered by the Patrimonio Nacional.- History :El Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, literally the Monastery of Barefeet Royals, resides in the former palace of King Charles I of Spain and Isabel of Portugal...
. - Samuel WebbeSamuel WebbeSamuel Webbe was an English composer.Born in Minorca in 1740, Webbe was brought up in London. His father died when he was still a baby and his mother returned to London where she raised Webbe in difficult circumstances. At the age of eleven he was apprenticed to a cabinet maker, and during the...
, English composer of Catholic hymns.
Composers who wrote Catholic sacred musicReligious musicReligious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
Note: The term classical musicClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
has been used broadly to describe many eras which do not fit the label. Initially the term specifically meant 1730–1820 (the Classical period
Classical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
), but for this list the period from the Baroque period
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
to the modern era will be included in this section. This is because Renaissance and especially Medieval music tends to be dominated, in the West, by Catholic religious music.
- Mateo AlbénizMateo AlbénizMateo Albéniz, also known as Mateo Antonio Pérez de Albéniz no relation to the better known composer Isaac Albénizwas a Spanish composer and priest....
, Spanish composer and priest. - Johann Christian BachJohann Christian BachJohann Christian Bach was a composer of the Classical era, the eleventh and youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. He is sometimes referred to as 'the London Bach' or 'the English Bach', due to his time spent living in the British capital...
, son of J.S. Bach, converted to Catholicism and wrote much Catholic liturgical and sacred music. - Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, his sacred music includes the his famous Missa solemnisMissa Solemnis (Beethoven)The Missa solemnis in D Major, Op. 123 was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1819-1823. It was first performed on April 7, 1824 in St. Petersburg, under the auspices of Beethoven's patron Prince Nikolai Galitzin; an incomplete performance was given in Vienna on 7 May 1824, when the Kyrie,...
and Mass in C majorMass in C major (Beethoven)Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his Mass in C major, Op. 86, to a commission from Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II in 1807. In fulfilling this commission, Beethoven was extending a tradition established by Joseph Haydn, who following his return from England in 1795 had composed one mass per year for the...
. - Hector BerliozHector BerliozHector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
, though an atheist, Berlioz wrote a famous RequiemRequiem (Berlioz)The Grande Messe des morts, Op. 5 by Hector Berlioz was composed in 1837. The Grande Messe des Morts is one of Berlioz's best-known works, with a tremendous orchestration of woodwind and brass instruments, including four antiphonal offstage brass ensembles placed at the corners of the concert stage...
as well as another mass and a Te Deum. - František BrixiFrantišek BrixiFrantišek Xaver Brixi was a Czech classical composer of the 18th century. His first name is sometimes given, by reference works, in its Germanic form: Franz.-Biography:...
, eighteenth-century Czech composer. He wrote some 290 church compositions and was KapellmeisterKapellmeisterKapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
of St. Vitus CathedralSt. Vitus CathedralSaint Vitus' Cathedral is as a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral...
. - Severo BoniniSevero BoniniSevero Bonini was an Italian composer, organist and writer on music.He was born in Florence and became a Benedictine monk. He studied singing with Giulio Caccini. He served as organist in Forlì from 1613 and held a number of other posts before returning to Florence in 1640 where he was maestro di...
, BenedictineBenedictineBenedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
and Baroque composer of sacred music. - Anton BrucknerAnton BrucknerAnton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
, Austrian late Romantic composer most famous for his symphonies. Devoutly Catholic, he wrote at least seven Masses and much other Catholic sacred music. - Francesca CacciniFrancesca CacciniFrancesca Caccini was an Italian composer, singer, lutenist, poet, and music teacher of the early Baroque era. She was the daughter of Giulio Caccini, and was one of the best-known and most influential female European composers between Hildegard of Bingen in the 12th century and the 19th century...
, Italian early Baroque female composer. Composed some motets. - Francesco CavalliFrancesco CavalliFrancesco Cavalli was an Italian composer of the early Baroque period. His real name was Pietro Francesco Caletti-Bruni, but he is better known by that of Cavalli, the name of his patron Federico Cavalli, a Venetian nobleman.-Life:Cavalli was born at Crema, Lombardy...
, Italian early Baroque composer of operas and some sacred music, including a requiem mass. - Marc-Antoine CharpentierMarc-Antoine CharpentierMarc-Antoine Charpentier, , was a French composer of the Baroque era.Exceptionally prolific and versatile, he produced compositions of the highest quality in several genres...
, French Baroque composer. Composed several masses and other sacred music. - Luigi CherubiniLuigi CherubiniLuigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
, late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Italian composer of operas and sacred music. He composed 11 masses - Gaetano DonizettiGaetano DonizettiDomenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
, most famous as composer of operas, he also composed some sacred music including two Masses. - Antonín DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
, Czech composer, most famous for the New World Symphony. A devout Catholic, his sacred compositions include a RequiemRequiem (Dvorák)Antonín Dvořák's Requiem in B-flat minor, Op. 89, B. 165, is a funeral mass for soloists, choir and orchestra, composed in 1890.- Background :...
, Mass in D major, Stabat Mater and Te Deum. - Edward ElgarEdward ElgarSir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
, devoutly Catholic English composer of nineteenth and early twentieth century. His most famous religious work is the The Dream of GerontiusThe Dream of GerontiusThe Dream of Gerontius, popularly called just Gerontius, is a work for voices and orchestra in two parts composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by John Henry Newman. It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment before God and settling into Purgatory...
whose text is a poem by Cardinal Newman - Gabriel FauréGabriel FauréGabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...
, nineteenth century French composer. Although his religious views are obscure, he was a renowned church organist, and composed a significant amount of Catholic sacred music, including of a famous Requiem MassRequiem (Fauré)Gabriel Fauré composed his Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 between 1887 and 1890. This choral–orchestral setting of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead is the best known of his large works. The most famous movement is the soprano aria Pie Jesu...
. - César FranckCésar FranckCésar-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life....
, nineteenth-century French composer, most famous for his Symphony in D. Composer of Panis Angelicus. - Christoph Willibald GluckChristoph Willibald GluckChristoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...
, Knighted by Pope Benedict XIVPope Benedict XIVPope Benedict XIV , born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was Pope from 17 August 1740 to 3 May 1758.-Life:...
, was important in the history of opera, but wrote only a few pieces of sacred music. - Charles GounodCharles GounodCharles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
, French composer whose religious music includes a very famous setting of the Ave Maria and Inno e Marcia PontificaleInno e Marcia PontificaleThe Pontifical Anthem or Papal Anthem is the official anthem of the Pope, which serves also as the anthem of the Holy See and the Vatican City State. It is played at solemn occasions of the State and ceremonies in which the Pope or one of his representatives, such as a nuncio, is present...
. - Henryk GóreckiHenryk GóreckiHenryk Mikołaj Górecki was a composer of contemporary classical music. He studied at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice between 1955 and 1960. In 1968, he joined the faculty and rose to provost before resigning in 1979. Górecki became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde during...
- late twentieth century Polish composer, most famous for his Third Symphony. Also has composed Catholic sacred music. - Pietro Guglielmi, In 1793 he became maestro di cappella at St Peter's, Rome.
- Johann Michael Haydn, younger brother of Joseph Haydn, and prolific composer of sacred music, including 47 masses.
- Joseph HaydnJoseph HaydnFranz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
, great Austrian composer of the Classical period. Credited with inventing the symphony. Also composed 14 Masses (including the Mass in Time of War), 2 Te DeumTe DeumThe Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
s and a Stabat MaterStabat MaterStabat Mater is a 13th-century Roman Catholic hymn to Mary. It has been variously attributed to the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi and to Innocent III...
. Very devout, often prayed the rosary when he had trouble composing. Teacher of both Mozart and Beethoven. - Zoltan KodalyZoltán KodályZoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.-Life:Born in Kecskemét, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child....
, twentieth century Hungarian composer. Composed a Missa Brevis, a Te Deum, and Psalmus Hungaricus. - Franz LisztFranz LisztFranz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, famed pianist and Romantic composer, mostly of piano works. He became a Franciscan tertiary. Composed much sacred music, including 5 masses. - Antonio LottiAntonio LottiAntonio Lotti was an Italian composer of classical music.Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was Kapellmeister at Hanover at the time. In 1682, Lotti began studying with Lodovico Fuga and Giovanni Legrenzi, both of whom were employed at St Mark's Basilica, Venice's principal church...
, Made his career at St Mark's BasilicaSt Mark's BasilicaThe Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy. It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture...
and composed numerous Masses. - Olivier MessiaenOlivier MessiaenOlivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
, twentieth century French composer. "Many of his compositions depict what he termed 'the marvellous aspects of the faith', drawing on his unshakeable Roman Catholicism." - Claudio MonteverdiClaudio MonteverdiClaudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
, Italian composer, famous from madrigals, and important in the transition from Renaissance to Baroque styles. Most well-known sacred piece is Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610 (Vespers for the Blessed Virgin) and was ordained in 1633 - Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, Composed 18 Masses including the Requiem MassRequiem (Mozart)The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
, the Coronation MassCoronation MassA Coronation Mass is a special kind of Mass, in which a rite of Coronation is celebrated.In the liturgical tradition of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Churches in communion with it, as well as in the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, rites of Coronation take place within the...
, and the Great Mass in C minor, and much other sacred music, including Vespers, Ave Verum CorpusAve verum CorpusAve verum corpus is a short Eucharistic hymn that has been set to music by various composers. It dates from the 14th century and has been attributed to Popes Innocent III, Innocent IV and Innocent VI....
, and Exultate Jubilate. - Arvo PärtArvo PärtArvo Pärt is an Estonian classical composer and one of the most prominent living composers of sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs his self-made compositional technique, tintinnabuli. His music also finds its inspiration and influence from...
, late twentieth-century Estonian composer. Though Eastern Orthodox, his sacred music is primarily in Latin Catholic forms, including a Mass, Te Deum, and Stabat Mater. - Giovanni Battista PergolesiGiovanni Battista PergolesiGiovanni Battista Pergolesi was an Italian composer, violinist and organist.-Biography:Born at Iesi, Pergolesi studied music there under a local musician, Francesco Santini, before going to Naples in 1725, where he studied under Gaetano Greco and Francesco Feo among others...
, Italian Baroque composer who wrote one of the most famous settings of the Stabat Mater. - Don Lorenzo Perosi, Catholic priest and Director of the Sistine Choir under five Popes.
- Francis PoulencFrancis PoulencFrancis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
, Twentieth century French composer. His most famous sacred works are the Mass in G, a GloriaGloria (Poulenc)The Gloria by Francis Poulenc , scored for soprano solo, large orchestra, and chorus, is a setting of the Roman Catholic Gloria in excelsis Deo text. One of Poulenc's most celebrated works, the Gloria was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation in honor of Sergei Koussevitzky and his wife...
, a Stabat Mater, and Dialogues of the CarmelitesDialogues of the CarmelitesDialogues of the Carmelites , is an opera in three acts by Francis Poulenc. In 1953, M. Valcarenghi approached Poulenc to commission a ballet for La Scala in Milan; when Poulenc found the proposed subject uninspiring, Valcarenghi suggested instead a screenplay by Georges Bernanos, based on the...
. - Licinio ReficeLicinio ReficeLicinio Refice was an Italian composer and priest. With Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi, he represented the new direction taken by Italian church music in the twentieth century....
, composed over 300 pieces of sacred music - Georg Reutter, church composer.
- Josef RheinbergerJosef RheinbergerJosef Gabriel Rheinberger was a German organist and composer, born in Liechtenstein.-Short biography:...
, twelve Masses and a Stabat Mater. - Gioacchino RossiniGioacchino RossiniGioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces...
, one of the greatest composers of Italian Opera. Late in life wrote a famous Stabat Mater and the Petite messe solenelle - Antonio SalieriAntonio SalieriAntonio Salieri was a Venetian classical composer, conductor and teacher born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, but who spent his adult life and career as a faithful subject of the Habsburg monarchy....
, Italian composer of Classical period. Taught Mozart, Schubert, and Liszt. Composed operas and sacred music, including ten hymns and nine psalms. - Alessandro ScarlattiAlessandro ScarlattiAlessandro Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father of two other composers, Domenico Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti.-Life:Scarlatti was born in...
, Italian Baroque composer, whose most notable sacred composition is the St. Cecelia mass. - Domenico ScarlattiDomenico ScarlattiGiuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
, Italian Baroque composer, his sacred music includes a well known Stabat Mater and Salve Regina. - Franz SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, Great classical/early Romantic Austrian composer. Most famous for Lieder and symphonies. Also composed 6 masses and much other sacred music, including a famous Ave Maria (whose original text was a prayer to Mary, but not the famous hail Mary prayer). List of compositions by Franz Schubert - Robert SchumannRobert SchumannRobert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
, German Romantic composer. Though Protestant, he composed a Mass in C minor and a Requiem Mass. - Antonio SolerAntonio SolerAntonio Francisco Javier José Soler Ramos, usually known as Padre Antonio Soler, known in Catalan as Antoni Soler i Ramos was a Spanish Catalan composer whose works span the late Baroque and early Classical music eras...
, Spanish priest and composer. - Igor Stravinski, though an Eastern Orthodox Christian, Stravinski composed a notable Catholic Mass.
- Ralph Vaughan WilliamsRalph Vaughan WilliamsRalph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
, twentieth century English composer, an agnostic Anglican, who composed or arranged much Anglican Church music. He composed a few works in Catholic liturgical forms, including a Mass and a Te Deum. - Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
, though not religious, he wrote a few religious works, including his great Messa da RequiemRequiem (Verdi)The Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass for four soloists, double choir and orchestra. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi. The first performance in San Marco in Milan on 22 May...
. - Antonio VivaldiAntonio VivaldiAntonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
, called "The Red Priest" because of his hair. His religious music includes several large choral works (such as the GloriaGloria (Vivaldi)Antonio Vivaldi wrote several settings of the Gloria. RV 589 is the most familiar and popular piece of sacred music by Vivaldi; however, he was known to have written at least three Gloria settings. Only two survive whilst the other is presumably lost and is only mentioned in the Kreuzherren...
), small solo motets, and hymnals con instrumenti. - Carl Maria von WeberCarl Maria von WeberCarl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
, German composer of Classical period, who wrote some sacred music that was popular especially in the nineteenth century. - Niccolò Antonio ZingarelliNiccolò Antonio ZingarelliNiccolò Antonio Zingarelli was an Italian composer, chiefly of opera.-Early career:Zingarelli was born in Naples, where he studied at the Santa Maria di Loreto Conservatory under Fenaroli and Speranza....
, was appointed choir master of the Sistine ChapelSistine ChapelSistine Chapel is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It is famous for its architecture and its decoration that was frescoed throughout by Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio...
in 1804.
Roman School
The Roman SchoolRoman School
In music history, the Roman School was a group of composers of predominantly church music, in Rome, during the 16th and 17th centuries, therefore spanning the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. The term also refers to the music they produced...
is a group of composers strongly linked to the Vatican and the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
. Many of them were, or became, priests. Although much of their work is too early to be mentioned here it did survive into the early Baroque. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
is generally seen as the most famous member. As a list of members is in the article on the subject, repetition of names in it should be normally avoided. Although Palestrina is notable enough to be in both.
21st Century Classical School
There is a small but growing school of church composers, favoring a return to Catholic music that can be called "classical", writing original organ, choral, and vocal music that is often based on Gregorian chantGregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
. Andrea Amici (b. 1972) has written Gregorian-based music of high quality.
Popular composers and artists
Contemporary Catholic music takes many forms, from rock to folk. The genre of music, although not as popular as evangelical Christian music, is continuing to grow.Contemporary Catholic musicians tend toward two main forms of expression: liturgical and non-liturgical. In a liturgical context, music is performed in a manner intended to heighten the spiritual atmosphere of a liturgical service, such as during Sunday mass, Eucharistic adoration or Stations of the Cross. The non-liturgical context, though very much worshipful, usually takes the form of a concert without the presence of a liturgical service. Non-liturgical settings are mainly focused on building Christian fellowship within Catholic communities. Non-liturgical artists find the opportunity to uniquely share their faith through their personal lyrics, and directly to audiences between songs. Though Catholic musicians tend toward one expression over the other, many will minister within both expressions with the appropriate music styles.
The following popular composers and performers are of note:
Liturgical Artists
- Devan and Ruth Bond- Liturgical composers whose latest collection of 24 seasonal psalms written with verbatim text won the Music Director's Choice award and the Catholic Liturgy People's award for best new psalm settings. The Epiphany Lullaby from the same collection was number one video on Catholic. org for several weeks.
- Eduardo HontiverosEduardo HontiverosFr. Eduardo Pardo Hontiveros, S.J. , also known as "Fr. Honti", was a Filipino Jesuit composer and musician, best-known as an innovative creator of Philippine liturgical music....
- Jesuit noted for Filipino liturgical movement, received the Pro Ecclesia et PontificePro Ecclesia et PontificeThe Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal is an award of the Roman Catholic Church. It is also known as the "Cross of Honour". The medal was established by Leo XIII on July 17, 1888, to commemorate his golden sacerdotal jubilee and was originally bestowed on those women and men who had aided and...
. - John McCormack- sang for an International Eucharistic CongressInternational Eucharistic CongressIn the Roman Catholic church, a Eucharistic Congress is a gathering of clergy, religious, and laity to bear witness to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is an important Roman Catholic doctrine...
and declared a CountCountA count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
by Pope Pius XIPope Pius XIPope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
. - James MacMillanJames MacMillan (musician)James MacMillan CBE is a Scottish classical composer and conductor.-Early life:MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977....
- contemporary Scottish Composer - Nicola MontaniNicola MontaniNicola A. Montani, KCSS, who was born in New York in 1880 and died in 1948, was a conductor, composer, arranger, and publisher of sacred music.Montani founded the St. Gregory Guild and the Society of St. Gregory. In 1920, he published the famous St...
- compiled The St. Gregory Hymnal - Oddwalk Ministries (Shannon Cerneka and Orin Johnson) - contemporary American composers
- Zoltan PaulinyiZoltan Paulinyi-External links:...
- Brazilian violinist and composer - Seán Ó RiadaSeán Ó RiadaSeán Ó Riada , was a composer and perhaps the single most influential figure in the revival of Irish traditional music during the 1960s...
- composed several Irish languageIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Masses - Dana Scallon - devoutly Catholic Northern Irish singer currently based in USA
- John Michael TalbotJohn Michael TalbotJohn Michael Talbot is an American Roman Catholic singer-songwriter-guitarist who is founder of a monastic community, the Brothers and Sisters of Charity.-Biography:...
- Contemporary Catholic musicContemporary Catholic musicContemporary Catholic music is a subset of Contemporary Christian music. Since Vatican Council II Catholic music has become more open to popular influences and influences from other Christian denominations. In the 1970s Mary Lou Williams began doing Catholic themed jazz, including a jazz mass....
ian who won acclaim in Contemporary Christian musicContemporary Christian musicContemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
circles.
Non-liturgical Artists
Note: The Unity Awards began in 2001 with the intent of being a Catholic-specific equivalent to the GMA Dove Awards. In certain cases the following mentions winners of this award.- Audrey AssadAudrey AssadAudrey Assad is an American singer-songwriter and contemporary Christian music artist of Catholic faith. Her debut album, The House You're Building, was released through Sparrow Records in July 2010 and went to be named Christian Album of 2010 on Amazon.com and the Christian Breakthrough Album of...
- Contemporary Christian Artist known for her EP "For Love of You" - Ceili RainCeili RainCeili Rain is a celtic music influenced Syracuse, New York based band led by Bob Halligan, Jr., founded in May 1995. As the group’s founder Bob Halligan, Jr. explains, in Gaelic, the word "Céili" means "party", specifically one with live musicians, dancing, and general merriment for an all-ages...
- Celtic/Pop-Rock with Catholic themes, heavily honored by the Unity Awards - Cheer Up Charlie - Catholic industrial rock/rap (Florida). They won a Unity Award for Modern Rock / Alternative Album of the Year
- CRISPIN - Catholic/Christian funk (Texas).
- Critical MassCritical Mass (Catholic rock)Critical Mass is a Christian rock band from the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada. The band is heavily influenced by its Catholic roots. They have produced and released five albums over their decade-long existence...
- Critically acclaimed Canadian rock band, winners of numerous awards, including two Canadian Gospel Music Association Awards for Best Rock Album. Performed for Pope John Paul II in Toronto in 2002. - Dana Scallon - devoutly Catholic Northern Irish singer currently based in USA; "Songwriter of the Year" and "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the Unity Awards in 2004.
- Stan FortunaStan FortunaFr Stan Fortuna, C.F.R. is a Catholic priest notable for his evangelical musical contributions of various genres, primarily Catholic-based jazz and hip hop....
- Catholic jazz and hip hop - John-Paul KaplanJohn-Paul KaplanJohn-Paul Kaplan , is an award winning American record producer, composer, and pianist.- Early life :He was born to Slovakian parents, Julius and Rozalia Kaplan. His interest in music was evident since his early childhood...
- Instrumental works. - Katholicus - Catholic classic melodic hard rock (Maryland) -the "Petra of Catholic music"
- Last Day - Catholic Alternative Rock (Kentucky)
- Matt MaherMatt MaherMatthew "Matt" Guion Maher is a contemporary Christian music artist, songwriter, and worship leader originally from Newfoundland, Canada, who later relocated to Tempe, Arizona. He has written and produced five solo albums to date...
- Steve Angrisano Contemporary Catholic musician
- James MacMillanJames MacMillan (musician)James MacMillan CBE is a Scottish classical composer and conductor.-Early life:MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977....
- contemporary Scottish Composer - manuel3 - Catholic soul/funk (Ill.)
- Tony MeléndezTony MelendezJosé Antonio Meléndez Rodríguez is a Nicaraguan American guitar player, composer and singer and songwriter who was born without arms. His mother took Thalidomide while pregnant, which caused his disability. Meléndez has learned to play the guitar with his feet.-Career:Meléndez began playing and...
- An armless Christian guitarist who was Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2004 Unity Awards and performed for Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. - Michael James Mette - modern rock worship
- Aaron NevilleAaron NevilleAaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
- Praise & Worship Album of the Year by the Catholic Unity Awards 2006. - Oaks of Justice - Catholic/Christian fusion rock (California)
- Oremus Catholic Rock
- Outer Fringe - Catholic punk rock
- Pierced - Catholic hard rock (Louisianna)
- Point 5 Covenant - Catholic hip-hop (Texas)
- Katrina Rae - Evangelist, for Catholicism, and a founding member of the Catholic Association of Music
- Remnant - Catholic hard rock (Texas)
- Seán Ó RiadaSeán Ó RiadaSeán Ó Riada , was a composer and perhaps the single most influential figure in the revival of Irish traditional music during the 1960s...
- composed several Irish languageIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Masses - Righteous-B - Catholic hip-hop (Texas), won several Unity Awards.
- RiseRiseRise or RISE may refer to:* Moving up-Music:* A type of melodic motion* Rise Records, a record label* Rise, an alias used by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne-Albums:...
- Catholic rock - Padre Marcelo RossiMarcelo RossiMarcelo Mendonça Rossi is a Brazilian Catholic priest widely known and popular in the country for his novel approaches to ministering to the faithful...
- Seven Sorrows - Catholic hard rock/heavy metal (California)
- John Michael TalbotJohn Michael TalbotJohn Michael Talbot is an American Roman Catholic singer-songwriter-guitarist who is founder of a monastic community, the Brothers and Sisters of Charity.-Biography:...
- Contemporary Catholic musicContemporary Catholic musicContemporary Catholic music is a subset of Contemporary Christian music. Since Vatican Council II Catholic music has become more open to popular influences and influences from other Christian denominations. In the 1970s Mary Lou Williams began doing Catholic themed jazz, including a jazz mass....
ian who won acclaim in Contemporary Christian musicContemporary Christian musicContemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
circles. - Billie Tarascio
- Mary Lou WilliamsMary Lou WilliamsMary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Williams wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records...
- Catholic jazz in the 1970s - Notker WolfNotker WolfNotker Wolf OSB is the current Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was elected to his position as Abbot Primate in 2000, succeeding Marcel Rooney. He lives at the Confederation's headquarters at Sant'Anselmo in Rome. The position is largely honorary...
- Abbot Primate of the Benedictine ConfederationBenedictine ConfederationThe Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict.-Origin:...
played for a Christian rockChristian rockChristian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
group. - Joe Tritz - Catholic Rock
- Nelson and the Friends of Jesus Band - Contemporary praise and worship band who performed at the main stage of WYD Australia.
- Pasquale Talarico - Contemporary Catholic artist from Southern California
W. Keith Moore artist from Oxford Mississippi, seen on The Journey Home, Dana and Friends, Walk for Life, singer/songwriter
- Cradle Catholic - Catholic music that combines traditional Latin prayer with heavy metal. (Texas)
- Love, Resonate - Contemporary praise and worship band from Chino Hills, CA
Catholic Hip-Hop Artists
Note: It is difficult to find an existing list of Catholic emcees (rappers) and DJs. This is an attempt to create an exhaustive list of said artists. Some of these artists are listed above under "Non-liturgical Artists." Most of these artists are affiliated with www.phatmass.com.
- &e Dufresne (aka Jeff Dufresne)
- Akalyte (aka MC Just)
- Andro
- Apollo
- C2six
- D Major (aka The Apologist)
- Damien
- Dex1
- DJ 86
- DJ Virtue
- Dustin Seiber (aka dUSt, DJ Servus)
- Dy-Verse
- Elijah and Elisha
- F.L.O.W.
- Flip Francis (aka Flip, J the Primate)
- Fr. Augustino, CFR
- Fr. Pontifex (aka Pontifex)
- Fr. Stan Fortuna
- Giuseppe Mignano
- Holy Soul Movement
- II X (TWO TEN)
- Jay Keys
- Joe Melendrez
- John Rumpza
- Kiddkapps
- Kiel Werking (aka Moses the Black, Merlin)
- Le
- M.A.S. (Miko Sy and DJ 86)
- Manchild (of Mars iLL, Move Merchants, Deepspace 5)
- Marco Velasquez (aka inDEED)
- MashetiMoses (aka Arturo Caballero)
- Miko Sy (aka Miko)
- Misereremi
- Move Merchants
- Nick T
- Oscar
- Paradox
- Paul Jisung Kim
- Paul Kalvin
- Point 5 Covenant
- Polo El Rapero Catolico
- Rapping Padre (aka El Padrecito)
- Righteous B (aka Bob Lefnesky)
- Sammy Blaze
- Sean P
- Shaburn Burn
- Sinnaman
- The Thirsting
- Th0t
- Unknown
- Yung PK
- Zealous
Liturgical music
Many composers have contributed to the distinct sound of contemporary Catholic liturgical music, including Marty HaugenMarty Haugen
Marty Haugen, , is an American composer of liturgical music.-Biography:Marty Haugen was raised in the American Lutheran Church in Minnesota, and also writes contemporary hymns and liturgies for the Lutheran church despite being a member the United Church of Christ...
, Dan Schutte
Dan Schutte
Daniel L. Schutte is an American composer of Catholic liturgical music and a contemporary Christian songwriter best known for composing the hymn Here I Am, Lord .-Biography:...
, and the St. Louis Jesuits
St. Louis Jesuits
The St. Louis Jesuits, a group of Catholic composers who popularized a contemporary style of church music through their compositions and recordings in the 1970s and 1980s. The group, made up of Jesuit seminarians at St...
. For more details, see Contemporary Catholic liturgical music
Contemporary Catholic liturgical music
Contemporary Catholic liturgical music encompasses a comprehensive number of styles of music for Catholic liturgy that grew both before and after the reforms of Vatican II...
. Two thirds of American Catholic Parishes now use this style of music in their liturgies. A recent trend has turned to pieces based on Gregorian chant, and liturgical projects like the Chabanel Psalms.