Master of Sacred Music

Welcome from the Director

"Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp." ~Psalm 147:7

Sing a New Song

The students, faculty, staff, and administration invite you to consider joining the learning community at the University of Notre Dame to study Sacred Music.

The liturgy is an art form that in its best manifestations uses the other arts to express the transcendent. Sacred music is one of the principal arts that supports the liturgy. Notre Dame, in responding to the need for high quality music and liturgical formation, has developed a new graduate program in Sacred Music. The program is the result of discussions that have taken place over the past several years. Furthermore, since the subject matter includes applied liturgical practice, there has also been broad consultation with the Institute for Church Life, the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, and Campus Ministry, especially for the practical components of the program.

After the promulgation of the papal instruction “Tra le sollecitudini” (TLS) by Pope Pius X in 1903, the field of liturgical music grew and prospered in the twentieth century. TLS articulated general principles for sacred music, differentiating between various approaches, and it explored the intersection of sacred music with the liturgy. Other twentieth-century popes followed Pius X’s lead, producing further documents on worship music.  Since the Second Vatican Council, interest has continued, and today the practice of sacred music in a liturgical context is considered a ministry.

Initiative to Meet the Church’s Need

This graduate program is based upon a tangible need in the Catholic Church community. For example, in the area of sacred music, national publications—such as Pastoral Music, National Catholic Reporter, The American Organist (American Guild of Organists) and Sacred Music—advertise dozens of positions in Catholic sacred music/liturgy. Many of the job descriptions for these positions call for applicants who are dually trained in music and liturgy. Notre Dame finds itself at the forefront of such formation. In fact, there are more full-time positions in music and liturgy than there are qualified candidates to fill them.

The graduate program for a Master of Sacred Music (M.S.M.) is administered in the Department of Theology and overseen by an interdepartmental committee (Music/Theology), with two faculty members each from Theology and Music. The occasion for this program of study was a stream of student inquiry and requests as well as the demonstrated need within the Church. The aim of the interdisciplinary graduate degree is basic competence in liturgy and advanced education in sacred music in either organ or choral so that students may be qualified to engage in music ministry on a professional basis.

One of the real strengths of the Notre Dame program is the strong link with the existing graduate program in Liturgical Studies. The marriage of music and liturgy at Notre Dame ensures that the graduates are equipped to assume positions of leadership where the dual credential in liturgy and liturgical music is not only desirable but imperative.

Synergies at Notre Dame

The M.S.M. program presents a wonderful opportunity for some Notre Dame Music faculty to contribute to a program that visibly and directly serves the university’s Catholic mission. Through this program, faculty members who care deeply about the music of the Church have a means of using their expertise to advance the depth and quality of that music. These same faculty members have been energized by developing the curriculum for the graduate program in liturgy and sacred music, working together from their shared commitments to a common goal.

In many ways, now is the propitious moment for the degree program in Sacred Music at Notre Dame. The opening of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) with the Reyes Organ and Choral Hall in 2004 provides the perfect venue for the performance of sacred music, serving as a multi-purpose room in which to practice and train church musicians. In addition, the choral facilities and chapel in Coleman-Morse, and the chapel in Malloy Hall provide ready opportunities for liturgy and sacred music initiatives, all in addition to existing opportunities in the Basilica and dormitory chapels.

Music in the Theology Department

Why house the M.S.M. program within the Theology Department? If Liturgy is an art form, then the liturgy can serve as the nexus for the sacred arts. Music is but one of the sacred arts, albeit an important one. There is ample precedent for this type of program to be housed within a department or school of Theology. Furthermore, accreditation for such a program is granted through the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).

The American Bishops' document Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship (2008) supports such a departmental offering. This statement emphasize three guiding dimensions in the work of sacred music: the liturgical, the pastoral, and the musical. Two of these dimensions fall squarely in the discipline of theology and ministry. There is precedent within the Notre Dame community already for this kind of interdisciplinary work supported by the Department of Theology: the three Basilica Choirs—Folk, Liturgical, and Women's Liturgical (with a total participation of over 175 students)—already receive one credit for up to three semesters for their work through the Department of Theology.

If you have any questions concerning the M.S.M. Program, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Michael S. Driscoll
Director of the Master of Sacred Music Program