This is a list of the major resources providing English-language suggestions
It is grouped by denomination, and also shows the national focus of each list.
Roman Catholic
- St Louis Jesuits Sunday web-site
The Music of Sunday's Mass page has some helpful links, including "Sunday's music in parishes" which lists the music being used in a number of American parishes each week.
- National Association of Pastoral Musicians planning calendar
Suggestions from a membership-based American Catholic church musician support organisation. This is a members-only resource - you must join NMP to get access to it.
- Canadian Bishop's Conference:
Suggestions from the Canadian Book of Worship
- CanticaNOVA publications
Music and liturgical suggestions for Year A, Year B and Year C, from an American company specialising in quality / traditional music. Strong emphasis on Latin and official texts.
- Liturgy Music Planner
A set of suggestions from the Archdiocese of Southwark, in England. Includes traditional hymns, and also more popular folk-hymn genre suggestions.
(Look for an up-do-date link in the lower-left side on their page)
- Word to Worship
Website set up by an American software engineer and volunteer worship leader, giving scripture-linked suggestions for contemporary style songs and hymns based on the day's readings. The approach (list all songs tagged for any of the day's readings) sometimes gives odd suggestions (eg "O Come O Come Emmanuel" for the Transfiguration in August).
- Ignatius Pew Missal
Short lists of suggestions from an American missal publisher, whose listings include the "Propers", ie entrance and Communion antiphons. Mainly traditional hymns.
- Liturgical Song Suggestions
Ideas from a major Australian publisher, with a very strong focus on Australian composers.
- Voices As One
Suggestions from a American publications company, focusing on the contemporary Christian music (CCM) genre.
- Music Repertoire Suggestions
Suggestions from the Diocese of Wollongong in Australia, from a Core Repertoire they have established. Based on the readings and the Propers / Antiphons for the day.
- Liturgical Song
A replacement site for Music Repertoire Suggestions, produced by the former director of music fore the Diocese of Wollongong (may not be being updated).
- Music for Liturgy
Suggestions from the Diocese of Auckland, New Zealand. Includes Maori and English language suggestions.
- The Summit On-line
Suggestions from the diocese of Melbourne, Australia
- Free-use Sunday Hymn Suggestions
This site's own listing of hymns that match the Sunday reading themes. Based in Ireland, includes suggestions ideas from any English-speaking sources.

- GIA Publications - Music-By-Date planner
Suggestions from a major American publisher's current catalog
Psalms and service music
- Music for Mass
Settings of the psalm and gospel acclamation produced by a musician in the United Kingdom. Includes settings for both UK and US approved scripture translations. Focuses on simple, singable tunes.
- Bear Music
Settings of the Psalms and other antiphons from a liturgist-composer based in the UK.
- Modern Psalter
Contemporary settings of the psalms, verbatim from the Catholic lectionary and designed for liturgical use. They are written by a volunteer team with members in the UK, US, Indonesia and possibly elsewhere. Each psalm-setting has a PDF songsheet and MP3 recording.
- PraySing Ministry
Settings of the Psalms from the Phillipines. Some in Tagalog, some in English.
Resources that don't offer hymn suggestions directly, but provide information about the day's readings and other prayers include:
- The Directory on Homelitics
A listing of key themes from the readings, and links to Catechism sections related to them.
More about it, including links.
- Mystagogical Reflection of the texts of the Roman Missal
A growing collection reflections linking the days readings with the prayers from the missal - from the American Federation of Diocesian Liturgical Commissions.
Anglican / Episcopalian / Church of England-Ireland-Scotland
- Oremus Hymnal
A hymnal-based site that aimed to be "the comprehensive source of information about the extensive tradition of Anglican and English-language hymnody".
The main site has now been removed, but music suggestions based on the Revised Common Lectionary remain (although none of the links work):
Year A
Year B
Year C
- Weekly Worship / Starters for Sunday
Resources and suggestions from the Church of Scotland
Methodist
- United Methodist General Book of Discipleship Planning Calendar
A Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) based calendar produced by the American United Methodist Church's General Board of Discipleship (GBOD).
- Singing the Faith Plus
A website produced by the Methodist Church in the United Kingdom
Lutheran
- LCA Worship Planner Produced by the Lutheran Church of Australia, this is described as "Everything lay-readers need to prepare worship" - including hymn suggestions.
Non-denominational RCL-based resources
- Singing from the LectionaryA blog with weekly song, hymn and recorded music suggestions and resources for worship - based on the Revised Common Lectionary.
Based on suggestions made to a Uniting Church, by a person with a background in Methodist hymn-singing, Scripture in Song, Praise and Worship bands, African American Gospel, Taize, Iona and African song, American hymnody and Sacred Harp singing, and the Catholic Mass and cantored Psalms, who aims for songs that are beautiful, intelligent, and inclusive.
- The Text This Week
Providing "a wide variety of resources for study and liturgy based on the 3-year Revised Common Lectionary" cycle. It presents "a diverse variety of resources for scripture study, reflection and liturgy, and purposefully do not restrict the resources to any particular theological/ideological position". Does not include music suggestions specifically - but does include an index to sources of artwork and also movies.
- The Billabong
Prepared by a retired Australian Uniting Church minister, this site has reflections and hymns suggestsions for each week, based on the Revised Common Lectionary.
- reWorship
A set of scriptural resources, suitable for Lectionary and non-Lectionary worship, prepared by an Assistant Professor of Worship and Music, Canadian Mennonite University.
- Together to Celebrate
Prepared by an Australian member of the Uniting Church, who has a background in children's youth and family ministry, and hymn-book editing.
- Forest Refuge Lectionary MusicA set of RCL-organised resources prepared by a classically-trained American musician with substantial experience in Latin America.
This is not a complete list: if you know other websites that could be included, please leave a message in the Comments box near the bottom of the page.
WOULD YOU BE PLANNING ON DOING ANY HYMN SELECTIONS FOR THE FEAST DAYS AND SUNDAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS
ReplyDeleteTHANKS
DAVE
Hi David - to be honest, I hadn't considered that.
DeleteIf you mean the regular (NO) Mass in Latin, then the lectionary used is the same, so the hymn suggestions here would still apply
If you mean the Extra-ordinary form (EF), then the one-year lectionaray cycle is used. It's not something I've had to investigate - I don't even know where to find the specified readings or any hymn-suggestions for this on-line. However I do know that many musicians playing for EF Masses do not use hymns at all, so suspect that a list would not be widely used.
You may find that a request posted to the CCMA discussion forum (https://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion) gets some suggestions.
Great, thank so much
ReplyDelete