When was the last time you sang with others in your living room?
For generations, families gathered around pianos, firesides and dinner tables to sing, and passed on their culture and faith through shared song. In the age of streaming and passive listening, the practice has largely disappeared. Musica Domestica is an invitation to recover it.
Scala is delighted to announce that the book will be published by Word on Fire, the publishing house of the Catholic ministry founded by Bishop Robert Barron. Shipping begins February 8, 2027.
The series is for people of all musical abilities, but written especially to include beginners: parents, families, and community leaders who want to lead others in song and prayer. It offers step-by-step guidance, reflections, and a carefully chosen repertoire of sacred and secular music, with audio and video resources online at musicadomestica.com. Volume I, Chants, Hymns, and Folk Songs, gathers the melodies that have formed Catholic life for centuries. Volume II, Psalms and Canticles, leads families into the Church’s tradition of sung prayer through the Liturgy of the Hours.
The project is the brainchild of Andrew Goldstein, a professional musician and a member of The Vigil Project. It began with a question from his eldest daughter:
“One night, I sat with my eldest daughter to read Little House on the Prairie. As we read these words, ‘Laura lay awake a little while, listening to Pa’s fiddle softly playing and to the lonely sound of the wind in the Big Woods,’ my daughter turned to me and asked, ‘Can you play music while I go to sleep?’ Truthfully, I found myself without an answer. As a professional musician myself, I should have had every tool needed to bring music into my family’s day-to-day life. Yet I came up short on any resource that empowered me to do that, not only as a musician but as a Catholic father. So, David Clayton and I set to work to create what we ourselves needed.”
Andrew invited David to contribute a pointed psalter and psalm tones for the family after hearing him give a talk about the family prayer and the domestic church in South Bend, Indiana, where Andrew lives. David says:
“When Andrew described to me his vision for Musica Domestica and asked me if I wanted to work with him, I was excited. I knew immediately that it would be a gold mine for families and homes wanting to pray and sing together. My hope is that we can all contribute constructively to the evangelization of the culture through song, prayer, and worship in the domestic church.”
Pre-order your copy today at musicadomestica.com.