In the thirteenth century, the Master of the Order, Humbert de Romans, also set up a commission to help him unify the Dominican liturgy, which took over 20 years to achieve. It’s one of our Order’s distinctive characteristics and richness that it has managed to preserve its unity despite the sometimes strong tensions and divergences within its ranks.
As far as liturgical chant is concerned, recent chapters have highlighted the urgent need for the Order to have a common repertoire to propose for international meetings. That is why we present here chants from our Dominican choral tradition as well as chants in the 3 languages of the Order. We always try to provide a learning tutorial as well as a download pdf.
We try to have scores for download, but unfortunately this is not always possible due to rights issues.
The Commission developed these aids based on the following criteria:
Inclusivity: Respecting the Order’s three official languages, Latin, and diverse global and provincial traditions (acknowledging that a return to Latin-only is no longer feasible).
Accessibility: Ensuring copyright compliance and mobile-friendly typesetting.
Comprehensive Content: Including various chants (Ordinaria, Benedictus, Magnificat, Hymns, Alleluia) and offering common melodies that work across different languages.
Practical Guidance: Providing essential underlining for psalm singing, a helpful feature currently missing in tools like iBreviary.
This section provides liturgical aids to overcome the language and traditional barriers at international meetings of the Order. Singing psalm prayers in foreign languages is particularly challenging. To help, this collection offers simple, catchy melodies from the Order’s traditions alongside text underlining to guide singing, as most members are not trained singers and lack rehearsal time. Instructional videos are also planned for the future.
A selection of the most important chant from the 800 year old tradition of the order available via www.lulu.com or www.amazon.com
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Missa Mundi (version OP)
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Siena Chant Mass___________
Messe de SylvanésFrom André Gouzes (French)
Available at www.bayardmusique.com
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Mass in Spanish (shortly)
Discours du pape Jean Paul II aux participants au congrès international de musique Sacrée, promu par le conseil pontifical de la culture.
Au Monde de la Culture: Discours du pape Benoît XVI.
La qualité de la musique et la rencontre
de Dieu.
Laudare, Praedicare, Benedicere: Lettre sur la celébration liturgique des Heures. Prot. n. 50/12/484 MO_Letters_to_the_Order
Le rit dominicain à la suite de la réforme liturgique de Vatican II. In: Analecta Sacri Ordinis Fratrum Praedicatorum, vol. 43, 1977, 193-275.
La Liturgia forma alla Liturgia. Alcune riflessioni sulla formazione liturgica postconciliare Ecclesia orans, vol. 36,
2019, 289–304.
Musicam Sacram: Instruction on music
in the liturgy.
Dominican Chant and Dominican Identity - Religions, vol. 5 no. 4, 2014, 961-971.
Progressive Solemnity and the Dominican Liturgy - Sacred Music, vol. 144 no. 4,
2017, 42–53.
The Divine Office and Dominican Life - Sacred Music, vol. 145 no. 2,
2018, 33–43.
Preconciliar Reforms of the Dominican Rite Liturgy: 1950–1962. - Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, vol. 15 no. 2, 2011, p. 185-201. Project MUSE.
Postconciliar Reform of the Dominican Rite Liturgy: 1962–1969. - Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal, vol. 15 no. 3, 2011, p. 299-316. Project MUSE.
