Joseph Roff
1910 - 1993
Roman Catholic
Biography
Joseph Roff (1910–1993) was an American Roman Catholic priest and prolific composer of liturgical and sacred music. Ordained in 1935, he served in the Diocese of Brooklyn and wrote for Catholic worship both before and after the Second Vatican Council. His musical training included doctoral study at the University of Toronto, where he worked with the distinguished Canadian church composer Healey Willan.
Roff composed more than a thousand works, including anthems, hymns, psalm settings, acclamations, orchestral pieces, and an operetta. He published extensively with the Gregorian Institute of America, later GIA Publications, and became known for practical music suited to parish choirs as well as more ambitious concert and liturgical works.
In 1953 Roff composed a separate musical setting of Christina Rossetti's “None Other Lamb.” That setting has continued to appear in choral and church repertory and demonstrates the poem's appeal beyond its earlier English and Presbyterian tune traditions.
Roff composed more than a thousand works, including anthems, hymns, psalm settings, acclamations, orchestral pieces, and an operetta. He published extensively with the Gregorian Institute of America, later GIA Publications, and became known for practical music suited to parish choirs as well as more ambitious concert and liturgical works.
In 1953 Roff composed a separate musical setting of Christina Rossetti's “None Other Lamb.” That setting has continued to appear in choral and church repertory and demonstrates the poem's appeal beyond its earlier English and Presbyterian tune traditions.
Hymns by Joseph Roff
None Other Lamb
Role: Composer