Allgemeiner Cäcilien-Verband für Deutschland
The Allgemeiner Cäcilien-Verband für Deutschland (ACV) is a Catholic church choir organization in Germany. It began in 1868 and is based in Regensburg. Pope Pius IX approved it in 1870. The ACV brings together about 417,000 singers in more than 18,000 choirs and is named after Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. It awards medals such as the Palestrina Medal, the Ambrosius Medal, and the Orlando di Lasso Medal. The ACV is a private church association and works with the German Bishops’ Conference.
In 1870, the founding charter Multum ad movendos animos defined the association’s name and scope for German-speaking lands. After the Second Vatican Council, the ACV split into three national associations (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) but they continue to cooperate in the Standing Conference of Cecilia Associations of German-language countries (SK-ACV).
The ACV promotes sacred church music through conferences and publications and offers ideas for new works and research. It is in contact with the Protestant Church, the German Music Council, and the Union of German Choral Associations. In 1951, the Pueri Cantores group was started to involve young people in church music, following the idea of Franz Xaver Witt: to implement what the Church requires in music and to keep the liturgy free from distortion and preserved in its beauty.
The ACV’s official magazine is Musica sacra, and the association also gives medals and honors to members and choirs.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:38 (CET).