Missa cum populo: a Liturgical and Musical Innovation

Abstract

This lecture-recital document presents a study of the missa cum populo, a new genre of Catholic liturgical music developed during the twentieth century in response to the desire for more active participation of laity in worship. Relevant twentieth century liturgical documents will be cited as a means of understanding concepts important in the reformed Catholic Mass: the treasury of sacred music, participation of the assembly, and the role of the choir. A history of the missa cum populo will then be presented and missa cum populo settings by Hermann Schroeder, Anton Heiller, Norman Dello Joio, and Richard Proulx will be examined to illustrate the techniques composers use to overcome the difficulties of writing music that employs both trained and untrained ensembles. Finally, this document supports the use of missa cum populo settings in contemporary Catholic worship.