John Foley (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Foley, S. J. (b. 1939) is an American composer of Catholic liturgical music and classical music. Among his better known compositions are "One Bread, One Body", "Earthen Vessels", "Come to the Water", and "The Cry of the Poor".
Much of his early work on liturgical music was as a member of a group called the St. Louis Jesuits, with whom he released several albums. Other members of the St. Louis Jesuits were Dan Schutte, Bob Dufford, Roc O'Connor, and Tim Manion. He has also released several solo CDs. Both the solo and the group efforts were released through publisher Oregon Catholic Press.
Since 1993 he is the director of the Center for Liturgy at St. Louis University.
[edit] Controversial aspects of his music
- Main article: Contemporary Catholic liturgical music
John Foley's music, along with that of several other musicians who compose music in the same or similar styles, is commonly used in the Mass and other Catholic liturgies today throughout the English-speaking world. The style of this music, along with its widespread use, engenders strong feelings both for and against this music. For many years there has been a lot of controversy regarding the quality of this music and regarding its suitability for Catholic liturgies.
