Lucien Deiss, CSSp was a French Catholic priest, biblical scholar, and liturgical composer. He was born in
Eschbach, Bas-Rhin, on 2 September 1921, and died on 9 October 2007 at the age of 86.[2]
Biography
Deiss entered the
Congregation of the Holy Ghost in 1942, and was ordained a priest in 1943, both during
World War II. He also studied at the
Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. Passionate about the Bible and
liturgy, for a year he was professor of Holy Scripture at the newly established major seminary of
Brazzaville,
Congo. Returning to France for health reasons in 1948, he spent decades as a professor and a retiree at the seminary of
Chevilly-Larue, which later renamed its library in his honor.[2][3][4]
Deiss composed over 400 pieces of liturgical music, many inspired by
Gregorian chant and
Renaissancepolyphony with biblical texts.[2] He once described the impetus for his composing career, starting at a small suburban parish in the 1950s: "I realized that the people knew almost nothing of the Bible, so I decided to try using music to help them memorize the more important texts."[1]
Beyond France, some of his works were widely translated and sold over 5 million copies.[2] His Biblical Hymns and Psalms (1965) was one of the first major collections of new music for English-language Masses, responding to the liturgical reforms of the
Second Vatican Council in which he participated, and earning him an honorary Doctorate in Sacred Music from his congregation's
Duquesne University.[5][6] The National Association of Pastoral Musicians named him "Pastoral Musician of the Year" for United States Catholics in 1992.[7] He received a
Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros for the 2005 album Ave Maria that he recorded with his Chevilly seminary choir.[8]
^Metzger, Robert (2002).
"Le Père Lucien Deiss et le renouveau de la liturgie". Mémoire Spiritaine 16 (in French). Retrieved 2 April 2023 – via Bibliothèque Lucien Deiss, Congrégation du Saint-Esprit, Chevilly-Larue, France.