''Musicae Sacrae'' (''On Sacred Music'') is a 1955
encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from ...
by
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
dealing with Catholic liturgical music. It updated the 1903 ''
motu proprio
In law, ''motu proprio'' (Latin for "on his own impulse") describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term ''sua sponte'' for the same concept.
In Catholic canon law, it refers to a do ...
''
''Tra le sollecitudini'', and remained in force as part of
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...
until superseded by
Musicam sacram
''Musicam sacram'' is the title of an instruction on Roman Catholic sacred music issued by the Sacred Congregation of Rites on 5 March 1967 in conjunction with the Second Vatican Council. The instruction deals with the form and nature of worship ...
in 1967.
The encyclical continued in the tradition of ''Tra le sollecitudini'' of keeping a rather conservative attitude toward music used in worship.
However, the encyclical did soften some of the previous restrictions. It allowed the singing of vernacular hymns at certain places in the mass, formalizing existing practice in places such as Germany.
References
Further reading
*
* {{Cite journal, issn = 2161-8542, volume = 115, issue = 1, pages = 45–62, last = Silverberg, first = Ann L., title = American Catholic Liturgical Music in the Twentieth Century: Pius X's "Motu Proprio" at its Centennial, journal =
American Catholic Studies, date = 2004, jstor = 44195170
External links
Official English translation
Catholic music
Encyclicals of Pope Pius XII
1955 in Christianity
1955 documents