The Problem: 

Over the past century, the American Church shed the vast majority of its historic liturgy. But there will always be a liturgy—the only question is which one. Once the historic liturgy was eliminated, the forms of liberal modernity (“sacramental liberalism”) filled the gap in the American Church and wider society, with its accompanying rejection of transcendent beauty and shallow assumptions about humanity and the created order.

But there is reason for optimism—we are experiencing a resurgence, especially among young people, of interest in older forms of beauty and truth preserved within the Christian tradition.

Our Solution:

The Kyrial Project exists to reassert traditional liturgy within the American Church. A “Kyrial” is a collection of settings including the typical components sung during the service of Holy Communion (also “Mass” or “Divine Liturgy”), including the Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and more. We believe that these simple, beautiful harmonized settings of classic liturgical movements translated into English will be a practical step toward re-anchoring the American church. 

How to use the Kyrial:

The guide below represents the optimal liturgical usage of the settings in the Kyrial Project. There are 11 Mass settings.  While the titling of each setting as "Mass" may be unfamiliar to certain modern Protestant churches, the substance remains within the bounds of the historic Protestant tradition and should be considered for use during communion. Each mass setting contains a mix of movements (The Lords Prayer, etc.) that should be sung in sequence in a single service, ideally, around the service of communion. 

Right now, sheet music is available on this website for all 11 settings. A recording sample of a single movement in one of the settings is featured below. If these digital copies are well-received, we will compile and print a full Kyrial book for congregational use in church contexts. 

Optimal liturgical use of the Kyrial: 

1)  Standard Holy Communion Service: Select one of the following   -   Merbecke’s Service of Holy Communion   -   Mass XI “Orbis factor” 

2)  Eastertide: Mass I “Lux et origo”

3)  Christmastide: Mass IX “Cum jubilo”

4)  Advent & Lent: Mass XVII 

6)  High feast days (e.g., Pentecost): Mass II “Kyrie fons bonitatis”

2) Other feast days (e.g., Transfiguration of our Lord): Select one of the following   -   Mass VI “Kyrie Rex genitor”   -   Mass VIII de Angelis   -   Mass X “Alme Pater”   -   Mass XIII “Stelliferi Conditor orbis”

7)  Funerals: Mass for the departed

These settings are designed to be as usable as possible. They can be introduced gradually and can be sung in unison or parts, either a cappella or accompanied. The congregation may sing the melody while the choir sings in harmony, or all may sing in harmony. Men in the congregation who are uncomfortable singing tenor or bass may sing the melody without disrupting the harmony. 

A congregation willing to begin this worthwhile process would benefit by starting with Mass XI “Orbis factor,” which is likely to be the most accessible entry point for a choir or congregation. While it is permissible to mix and match movements, each mass setting has a stylistic integrity that should be maintained if possible.