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You are here: Home / Catholic Life / Music for Catholic Families

Music for Catholic Families

June 21, 2012 By Kathleen Basi · PRINTABLES TIP: Always go toward the end of a post to find the printable. · Disclosure: This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. {I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.}

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When I was growing up, one of our favorite records to listen to was Carey Landrey’s original “Hi God” album. We used to run around the house singing “And if the Devil doesn’t like it, he can sit on a tack–ouch!” Thirty years later, we sing that song for fun in the bathtub, and “Oh how I love Jesus” keeps my daughter calm while I wash her hair.

Faith grows best when it is integrated into life. To that end, I’d like to share a few examples of Catholic music to play in your home. I believe the Spirit inspires across all ages and styles of music, so I cast a pretty wide net in this list. Whatever your personal tastes, I hope you’ll go exploring outside your comfort zone. Enjoy!

Chant and Polyphony: the original Catholic music

  • Ave Maria: Gregorian Chants recorded by Rev. Lucien Diess
  • The Monks of Solesmes are widely regarded as the ultimate modern authority in chant. They have lots of recordings.
  • The Tallis Scholars are my favorite ensemble for Renaissance motets. The motets were first written as expansions of chants into polyphony. Look for works by Palestrina, Josquin Desprez, Thomas Tallis, Tomas Luis de Victoria. Two of my favorites: O Magnum Mysterium and Ave Maria.

Classical sacred music. The vast majority of the sacred music written by classical composers was written for the Church. As there are Mass settings, requiems and other sacred works by almost every major composer, Catholic or not, any attempt at a list is hopelessly non-inclusive. So I’ll just highlight four:

  • Mozart’s exquisite motet, Ave Verum Corpus
  • Verdi’s Requiem
  • Mozart’s Requiem
  • Bach’s Mass in B Minor

Other “Standards.” WLP also offers a 4-disc set titled “Catholic Treasures.” It includes Christmas carols, traditional and modern classic hymns used widely in liturgies today (for example: “Panis Angelicus” and “Tantum Ergo Sacramentum” are included, as well as Joe Mattingly’s “On That Holy Mountain” and Steve Janco’s “Draw Near.”)

Music written for and/or performed by children. These songs introduce theology and Scripture to children at their own level. All three major Catholic publishers offer music for children; there’s lots to choose from, and you can listen at the links below:

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  • OCP’s list of CDs for children
  • GIA’s list of music for children and youth (many of these are print music, so if you go exploring, keep an eye out for the label “CD.”)

WLP also has a number of resources for children; I’ll highlight three:

  • Let the Children Come To Me, Here I Am, God, and Kids Sing for Jesus
  • Sing Out: A Children’s Psalter gets its own bullet point, because it offers simple, uncluttered settings of the common psalms for the Church year, sung by a single voice , which allows the words to take precedence.

Catholic Recording Artists. Say what you will about Life Teen, it has produced a generation of enthusiastic, devout Catholics making high-quality CCM. The following list of artists is recommended by a long-time youth minister.

  • Audrey Assad
  • Matt Maher
  • Ike Ndolo
  • Steve Angrisano
  • Tom Booth
  • John Angotti
  • Bob Rice
  • Michael James Mette

What music do you use to feed your faith (and your family’s)?

Kathleen Basi is a stay-at-home mom, freelance writer, flute and voice teacher, liturgical composer, choir director, natural family planning teacher, scrapbooker, sometime-chef and budding disability rights activist. She puts her juggling skills on display at www.kathleenbasi.com.

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Filed Under: Catholic Life

About Kathleen Basi

Kathleen writes at her personal blog, So Much To Say, So Little Time, about life at the intersection of faith, family and the written word. She is convinced that every issue touches every other, and that faith must be at the heart of them all.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Suzanne says

    June 21, 2012 at 8:02 am

    What a great list! Thank you for the musical inspiration and direction here.

    Reply
  2. Stephanie @ Harrington Harmonies says

    June 21, 2012 at 8:28 am

    I just wanted to add John Micheal Talbot to your list. His music has been very deeply inspiring for our family and for my own personal faith growth.

    Reply
  3. Rebecca says

    June 21, 2012 at 11:31 am

    Sarah Hart is another wonderful Catholic artist!

    Reply
  4. Haley says

    June 21, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    Love this! I would add Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion. And Colleen Nixon to the Catholic Recording Artist category.

    Reply
  5. Kristine Hornbek says

    June 23, 2012 at 2:44 am

    Danielle Rose is a beautiful Catholic musician. She has a 2 disc set out called Mysteries, that has a song for each of the mysteries of the Rosary. I love to use it to pray the Rosary.

    Reply
  6. Kathleen Basi says

    June 23, 2012 at 7:19 am

    It just goes to show how richly blessed we are by artists who share our faith, doesn’t it?

    Reply
  7. Mothering From Scratch says

    July 15, 2012 at 7:41 am

    {Kathy} Audrey Assad is awesome! She has really inspired my daughter Grace to learn more about being a Catholic musician.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. This Week’s Miscellany: Vol. 16 | Carrots for Michaelmas says:
    June 22, 2012 at 7:54 am

    […] Music for Catholic Families: Catholic Mothers Online (Love this, I always am looking for sacred music I don’t have and there’s some great suggestions. I have a serious aversion to “kid’s music,” and try to avoid it at all costs, so I can’t vouch for any of the ones suggested. What sacred music do you like to listen to and do your kids enjoy? And if you’re a cool parent whose willing to suffer through kid’s tunes, what do you recommend…maybe I should be more self-sacrificing.) […]

    Reply

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Angie, mom to three very fun kids, is the founder of Real Life at Home.  With degrees in elementary education (B.A.) and special education (M.S.Ed.), as well as being a former homeschooler, she is passionate about supporting both parents and teachers by providing printables, crafts, and activities to help children learn and grow. Read More…

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