Liturgical Music in the Catholic Church of Thailand: A History and Comprehensive Bibliography

Catholicism flourished in 17th-century Siam, with the city of Ayutthaya serving as a center for seminary training in Southeast Asian. Within this culturally diverse and multiethnic environment, Catholic teachings, rituals, and practices were shaped through interaction with both local and foreign traditions. Liturgical music emerged as a significant expression of core Christian worship. Latin traditions blended with local practices long before official regulations on inculturation were issued by the Second Vatican Council in the twentieth century. Over more than three centuries, liturgical music in Thailand has evolved across regions and dioceses, incorporating local musical traditions into the Roman rite. As a result, the history of liturgical music in the Thai Catholic Church extends beyond written sources and includes multilingual materials and fieldwork-based research, such as in-depth interviews with church leaders, missionaries, and laypeople. This comprehensive bibliography, therefore, presents significant sources, both primary and secondary, in multiple languages, ranging from firsthand correspondence to sheet music and serving as a record of the centuries-long traditions and musical cultures of Catholicism in Thailand.