Sacred Music Collection
An expanded view of the sacred music collection is available in the Sacred Music Collection Gallery.
For centuries, those who composed music for the church were arguably the major influencers on the development of music in the western world. At other times, the culture of music in vogue was adopted by the church and integrated into worship elements. Church music has generally been based on singing, written for individuals and choirs to express the words of Scripture and the experience of faith as encouraged by the words of Bible, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19).
From the early, simple monophonic chants sung by the clergy and monks alone, to the complex polyphony of the Renaissance sung by choirs, to the vibrant congregational singing inspired by the Reformation and the revivals, to the simple singing of the Psalms without instruments in the settlements of the New World, music has continued to lead God's people in personal and corporate worship experiences. This collection includes selected examples of church music starting with the plainsong of the Middle Ages on through the development of Gospel hymns and the shape-note tradition of the 19th century.
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Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen Codex 381
This copy of the St. Call Codex 381 is a full-color photographic reproduction of the original, one of the oldest collections of chant from the 10th century.
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Winchester Troper, Early 11th Century
The Winchester Troper was originally copied out and used at Winchester Cathedral in England.
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Martin Luther - Duetsche Messe, 1526
The Cedarville University copy of Martin Luther's Duetsche Messe is a line-cut reproduction of the Michael Lotter edition.
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Manuscript Leaf from Antiphonal in Latin, circa 1550
This original vellum manuscript leaf is from a Spanish antiphonal, a service book that contains the sung portions of the daily devotions performed by members of the clergy and members of religious orders.
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Missale Romanum, 1570
The Cedarville University copy of the Missale Romanum, the liturgical book that contains the texts and rules for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Catholic Church, is a line-cut facsimile of the original.
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Cantiones quae ab argumento sacrae vocantur, 1575
Taking advantage of their monopoly on printing music, in 1575 Thomas Tallis and William Byrd produced their grandiose Cantiones sacrae, the first collection of Latin sacred motets published in England.
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Book of Common Prayer, 1614
The Book of Common Prayer, first published in 1549, was a product of the English Reformation following the break from the Roman Catholic church.
