Church Documents Related to Sacred Music since 1903

Ordo cantus officii (first edition, 1983; second edition, 2015), official ordo of all of the antiphons to be used in the Divine Office by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

General Instruction of the Roman Missal (3rd edition, 2011)

Musica Sacra: Music at Mass; A Liturgical and Pastoral Challenge, Papers from the Second Study Day on the Anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican City, December 5, 2005, conference proceedings organized by the Congregation for Divine Workshop and the Discipline of the Sacraments, translated by Michael J. Miller et al., and published by Ignatius Press in 2010.

Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship (2007), guidelines issued by the USCCB 

Sacramentum caritatis (2007), apostolic exhortation by Pope Benedict XVI 

Chirograph for the Centenary of the Motu Proprio Tra le sollecitudini (2003), letter by Pope John Paul II 

Liturgiam authenticam: On the Use of Vernacular Languages in the Publication of the Books of the Roman Liturgy; Fifth Instruction for the Right Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council (2001), instruction by the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments 

“The Snowbird Statement on Catholic Liturgical Music” (1995), unofficial non-binding statement by a select group of musicians and liturgists

Varietates legitimae: Inculturation and the Roman Liturgy; Fourth Instruction for the Right Application of the Conciliar Constitution on the Liturgy (1994), instruction by the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments 

“The Milwaukee Symposia for Church Composers: A Ten-Year Report” (1992), unofficial non-binding report by the Milwaukee Symposia for Church Composers 

Liturgical Music Today (1982), pastoral guidelines issued by U.S. Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy 

Voluntari obsequens: Letter to the Bishops on the Minimum Repertoire of Plainchant (1974), letter by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship 

Music in Catholic Worship (1972), pastoral guidelines issued by U.S. Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy. A second edition appeared in 1983.

Musicam sacram: Instruction on Music in the Liturgy (1967), instruction by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship 

Sacrosanctum concilium: Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (1963), liturgical constitution of the Second Vatican Council 

Instructio de musica sacra et sacra liturgia ad mentem litterarum Pii Papae XII “Musicae sacrae disciplina” et “Mediator Dei”: Instruction on Sacred Music and Sacred Liturgy (1958), instruction by the Sacred Congregation of Rites 

Musicae sacrae disciplina (1955), encyclical letter by Pope Pius XII 

Mediator Dei (1947), encyclical letter by Pope Pius XII 

Divini cultus sanctitatem (1928), apostolic constitution on sacred music by Pope Pius XI on the 25th anniversary of Tra le sollecitudini 

Tra le sollecitudini (1903), motu proprio by Pope Pius X (available on the Vatican website only in Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Spanish . English translation available at https://adoremus.org/1903/11/tra-le-sollecitudini/)