The Allgemeiner Cäcilien-Verband für Deutschland (General Association of the

Cecilian Movement The Cecilian Movement for church music reform began in Germany in the second half of the 1800s as a reaction to the liberalization of the Enlightenment. The Cecilian Movement received great impetus from Regensburg, where Franz Xaver Haberl had a ...

Germany) (abbreviated as ACV) was founded in 1868 and is an organization for choral singing of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The official residence of the ACV is located in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

. Approved by Pope

Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

in 1870, the organisation represents over 417,000 singers in over 18,000 choirs. The organisation is named after the Patron Saint of music, St. Cecilia. It awards the Palestrina-Medaille, Ambrosius-Medaille and Orlando di Lasso-Medaille, among others.

Association

The ACV is a private church association and engaged in the

German Bishops' Conference The German Bishops' Conference (german: Deutsche Bischofskonferenz) is the episcopal conference of the bishops of the Roman Catholic dioceses in Germany. Members include diocesan bishops, coadjutors, auxiliary bishops, and diocesan administrator ...

. In 1870, the association received the approbation by Pope Pius IX. In the founding breve ''Multum ad movendos animos'' of 16 December 1870 is not only the name of the association set as Associatio sub titulo Sanctae Caeciliae per universis Germanicae linguis Terris (General Cecilia Association for the countries of the German language), but also its international background and its legal position. After the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

the organisation was divided in three national associations (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), however, they have worked together in the "Ständigen Konferenz der Allgemeinen Cäcilienverbände der Länder deutscher Sprache (SK-ACV)" (Standing Conference of Cecilia-Associations of German language). The ACV promotes sacred church music through church music conferences and publications. The association offers suggestions for compositions and research. It is in contacts with the Protestant Church,

Deutscher Musikrat The Deutscher Musikrat (DMR, ''German Music Council''; ) is an umbrella organization for music associations and the 16 music councils of the German federal states.musikrat.deÜberblick über Organisationsstruktur des DMR(retrieved on 10 May 2019) ...

(German Music Council) and the (Union of German choral associations). In 1951, the working group "Pueri Cantores" was founded. Titelblatt Musica sacra

The goal was worded by founder

Franz Xaver Witt Franz Xaver Witt (February 9, 1834 – December 2, 1888) was a Catholic priest, church musician, and composer. He was a leading figure in the Cecilian movement for the reform of Catholic church music in the second half of the 19th century.Williamso ...

: "Wir wollen nichts anderes als die praktische Durchführung dessen befördern, was die Kirche über die Musik angeordnet hat" (We want to convey nothing more than the implementation of what the Church has arranged the music). The

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

is to be kept free from distortions, protected from alienation and preserved in its original beauty. The official association magazine of ACV is '' Musica sacra''.''Musica sacra''
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Awards

The association awards medals and honours to members and choirs, among others: * Cäcilienabzeichen, given to members for long-term activity * Palestrina-Medaille (Palestrina medal), given to choirs on their 100th anniversary * Ambrosius-Medaille (Ambrosius medal), given for unusual merits for choral singing in the Catholic church * Orlando di Lasso-Medaille (Orlando di Lasso medal), the highest award for unusual merits

References

External links

Allgemeiner Cäcilien-Verband für Deutschland
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Allgemeiner Cacilien-Verband fur Deutschland Music organisations based in Germany Musical groups established in 1868 1868 establishments in Germany