Lucien Deiss, was a French Catholic priest, biblical scholar, and liturgical composer, born in Eschbach, Bas-Rhin, on 2 September 1921, and died on 9 October 2007 at the age of 86.

Biography

Deiss entered the Congregation of the Holy Ghost in 1942. Passionate about the Bible and liturgy, he was initially professor of Holy Scripture at the major seminary of Brazzaville, Congo. Returning to France for health reasons in 1948, he taught at the seminary of Chevilly-Larue, which later renamed its library in his honor. Deiss composed over 400 pieces of liturgical music, many inspired by

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek (language), Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed ma ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...

with biblical texts. He once described the impetus for his composing career, starting in the 1950s: "I realized that the people knew almost nothing of the Bible, so I decided to try using music to help them memorize the more important texts." Beyond France, some of his works were widely translated and sold over 5 million copies. His ''Biblical Hymns and Psalms'' (1965) was one of the first major collections of new music for English-language Masses, responding to the liturgical reforms of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

in which he participated, and earning him an honorary Doctorate in Sacred Music from

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

Works

Musical compositions

French: * ''Souviens-toi de Jésus-Christ'' * ''L'Esprit de Dieu'' * ''Terre entière chante ta joie'' * ''Un seul Seigneur'' * ''Peuple de prêtres, peuple de rois'' English: * "All the Earth, Proclaim the Lord" * "Grant to Us, O Lord" * "Keep in Mind" * "My Shepherd Is the Lord" * "My Soul Is Longing for Your Peace" * "With a Joyful Heart"

Books

* ''La Prière chrétienne des psaumes''. Desclée de Brouwer, 2001. * ''Joseph, Marie, Jésus''. Editions Saint Paul, 1997. * ''La messe: sa célébration expliquée''. Desclée de Brouwer, 1989. * ''Come, Lord Jesus: Biblical Prayers with Psalms and Scripture Readings''. World Library Publications, 1981. * ''Biblical Hymns and Psalms''. Multiple volumes and publishers, starting 1965.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deiss, Lucien Liturgists Holy Ghost Fathers 1921 births 2007 deaths 20th-century French composers 21st-century French composers French male composers French composers of sacred music 20th-century French Roman Catholic priests 21st-century French Roman Catholic priests 20th-century French male musicians 21st-century French male musicians