Music for the Mass

Since the musical celebration’s program inception, we have continued to strive to enrich our Solemn Mass to create a prayerful experience through the pursuit of musical excellence, drawing repertoire from the Church’s treasury of sacred music.  The Church’s musical heritage is rich both as an artform and a universal language that communicates Faith and sacred text.  In it’s symphony of voices, music unites of hearts and offers universal hope for the world.

This year, the joint choir (Francis Choristers and Vox Antiqua) will sing Missa de Angelis, a Gregorian chant setting dates back to the 15th century, with polyphonic verses added to the Kyrie and Gloria. Missa de Angelis is probably the most well-known chant Mass setting across the world, and it is often sung at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The arrangement of the Gloria that will be sung was originally created by Peter Latona (b. 1968) for Pope Francis’ visit to the USA in 2015 and was premiered at the Papal Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C..

Other highlights in the repertoire include motets by Italian priests and composers, including: Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi (1872-1956), Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci (1917-2013) and Monsignor Marco Frisina (b. 1954). The program also includes organ music by Bach and Pierre de Mage, chant antiphons for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and hymns in Chinese and English.

Thank you for joining us!

Program Team

Holy See Study Mission in Hong Kong

  • By: davc
  • By: davc