Sacred Music

Course Descriptions

SM-4000: History and Principles of Sacred Music (2 credits)
Through a survey of the history of sacred music and reading of Church and papal legislation on sacred music, students gain an understanding of the principles which shape Western sacred music and the musical structure of the Roman rite. Special focus is placed on current documents which govern music in the Church. The course also features in-depth discussion of practical issues including active participation, progressive solemnity, the use of instruments in the sacred liturgy, inculturation and other pastoral needs, resources available for music directors and choristers, and other relevant topics.

SM-4010: Liturgical Theology for Sacred Music (2 credits)
Serving as an entry point to academic study of the sacred liturgy, this course uses methods of theological inquiry to develop insight into the nature and meaning of the rich liturgical tradition of the Roman rite. In the manner of the theological maxim lex orandi, lex credendi (“that the law of prayer establishes the law of belief”), this course explores the connection between the Catholic faith and her liturgical rites throughout history. With a particular emphasis on the writings of the Liturgical Movement and magisterial documents, themes studied in the class include: Logos, symbol, sacrament, Scripture, sacred time, sacred place, the altar, images, gestures, participation, and inculturation.

SM-4020: History of the Roman Rite (2 credits)
Starting from a discussion of the meaning of “rite,” this course will give an overview of the periods of the development of the Roman liturgy, surveying particularly important historical and documentary landmarks. With the aim of understanding the current state of the Roman rite, students will be introduced to methods of liturgical studies which contextualize the traits and various developments of the rite, helping them articulate the Church’s guardianship and exercise of the sacred liturgy, including with respect to theological, cultural, and historical forces which affect the Church’s worship.

This course is only offered every other summer – even years.

SM-4030: Sacred Music and Canon Law (1 credit)
In recent decades, there has been a tendency to apply a positivistic interpretation of ecclesiastical law governing sacred music. This course aims to counter this trend by helping church musicians understand and apply fundamental concepts of canon law to parish sacred music programs. First, students will learn the foundational principles of canon law as a means to safeguard the Church’s musical patrimony. Second, they will explore the varying degrees of legal force associated with different types of ecclesiastical documents. Finally, they will learn how to work with the clergy and apply these concepts to daily parish life for the good of souls.

This course is only offered every other summer – odd years.

SM-4060: Vocal Pedagogy (2 credits)
Students will study the names, locations, and functions of the anatomical features of the vocal mechanism and develop a vocabulary of terminology for the understanding and instruction of healthy singing. Through listening to and discussion of examples of different voices, students will develop an understanding of voice classification, the advantages and limits of such a system, and its usefulness in choral placement. Students will build a library of vocal exercises for use in private and group instruction, and develop discernment in the prescription of exercises according to vocal building needs, preparation for repertoire, and the diagnosis and correction of vocal faults. Special attention will be devoted to understanding and instructing inexperienced, aging, children’s, and changing voices.

This course is only offered every other summer – odd years.

SM-4070: Parish Sacred Music Program Management (1 credit)
Students will undertake a strategic planning process for their current parish or a hypothetical future parish. Applicable to musicians and clergy from parishes of any size who are searching for inspiration and ideas as they work to expand or make changes to an existing sacred music program, this course presents best practices from model parishes and programs. Covering structures, personnel, budget, recruitment, fundraising, materials (hymnals, instruments, library, some aspects of repertoire, etc.), and other resources, the class aims to provide ideas, resources and a process for parishes to consider how they might develop a program which is faithful to the mind and heart of the Church, intimately linked to the nature and structure of the sacred liturgy, and responsive to pastoral needs and the character of the parish and its parishioners. The ideas presented in the course afford the opportunity to plot a path forward for a parish in which, through artistic beauty, the music program is both spiritually fruitful and economically sustainable, as well as invigorating for the worship, health, and life of a parish.

This course is only offered every other summer – even years.

SM-4040: The Psalms (2 credits)
As the basis for much of the Church’s sacred music, the Psalms will be studied for their poetic structure, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as for their theological content and typological significance within both their liturgical and scriptural contexts. Students will read the entire book of Psalms and pray it liturgically in the sung Divine Office in order to gain facility with teaching the texts of works in the treasury of sacred music.

This course is only offered every other summer – even years.

Pre-requisite: pass the Latin proficiency entrance exam or 2 semesters Latin study with an approved program.

SM-4050: Fundamental Philosophical Questions about Beauty (1 credit)
To understand the nature of beauty and to discover its place in the spiritual life and human flourishing, students will develop their skills of philosophical inquiry about fundamental questions in aesthetics. Participants in this class will read a collection of short, essential texts on aesthetics. Guided by a philosopher-instructor, students will learn to form and answer their own questions which help them understand beauty from an ontological perspective, whether one can say that God is beauty itself or simply its source, the qualities of beauty, beauty’s relationship to truth, goodness, and other transcendental qualities of being, how the mind perceives beauty, the impact of beauty on the human person, possible impediments to the perception or appreciation of beauty, the role of the development of taste in the life of the Christian. Aimed at enabling students to enter more deeply into a key component of their work as musicians, the course will help students apply the questions and answers they’ve cultivated in fruitful catechesis and dialogues with Catholics interacting with their parish sacred music programs.

This course is only offered every other summer – odd years.

SM-4100: Introduction to Gregorian Chant (2 credits)
Serving as an introduction to Gregorian chant, this course will cover neumatic notation, Gregorian modes, ear training and sight reading, vocal technique appropriate for singing chant, and Latin pronunciation. Special focus will be placed on rhythmic interpretation of the chant according to the classical Solesmes (Mocquereau) method. By the end of the class, students will have confidence singing from the Graduale Romanum, solfège, and psalm tones, and some experience in conducting (chironomy). Additional topics introduced in the class include the history of Gregorian chant, rehearsal techniques for teaching chant to children and adult choirs, and an introduction to chant resources in English and Spanish.

SM-4110: Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children (2 credits)
This course presents pedagogical techniques for teaching Gregorian chant to children and is ideal for Catholic schoolteachers, directors and teachers of religious education, directors of children’s choirs, and parents. Through structured study, drills, and teaching demonstrations, students are trained to teach the first level of the Ward Method, a comprehensive music education method. Other topics addressed will include adaptation of the Ward method to realistic pastoral contexts, curricularizing Gregorian chant and other sacred music repertory according to Ward method activities, integrating the Ward method into a children’s choir program, resources for teachers, other teaching approaches, and the logistics of structuring, developing, and advocating for a sacred music program for children.

SM-420x: Choral Institute (1 credit)
Spend a week singing masterpieces from the Church’s choral repertory with a chamber choir of excellent singers, directed by a master conductor. In between rehearsals, instructional sessions will develop students’ abilities to direct a great choral rehearsal as students explore various methods of teaching new music, group vocal pedagogy, and techniques for addressing common problems encountered in developing an excellent choral sound. Special attention will be paid to teaching rehearsal techniques capable of evoking the most beautiful result within a liturgically demanding schedule. Gems of the choral repertoire which buttress the musical shape of the Roman rite and can be taken home for use with parish choirs will be covered in discussion and rehearsal.

This course may be repeated two times or more.

SM-4210: Choral Preparation: Choral Conducting, Rehearsal Techniques, and Group Vocal Pedagogy (2 credits)
Through rigorous practice of choral conducting fundamentals such as meter patterns, preparatory and cutoff gestures, changes in tempo and dynamics, and expressive gestures applicable to the sacred polyphonic repertory, students will develop the foundations of a directing technique which is clear, confident, and effective. Students will also work to enrich their gestures through training in Laban movements. Putting these gestures into practice in well86 known pieces in the choral canon, course participants will discuss the effect of gestures on singers’ vocal technique and the overall choral sound, and learn helpful basic warm-ups and rehearsal techniques to promote healthy technique, development in musicianship, and expressive singing. Different processes for score preparation will be presented and practiced, as will different exercises to promote the conductor’s accurate and sensitive audiation of the score.

SM-4220: Choral Literature Survey I (2 credits)
Focusing on the development of polyphonic music from the Gregorian repertory, this course presents sacred polyphonic repertory of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Students will become well-acquainted with the most important repertoire and most significant composers in the canon, and will have the opportunity to encounter some repertoire which is undeservedly less well-known. Tracing stylistic traits through time and in the works of individual composers, students will develop the ability to contextualize works within the overall canon, the organic development of style throughout history, and the sacred liturgy. Students will spend time analyzing and describing salient features of pieces in the repertoire so that they can prepare scores well for excellent conducting in rehearsal, and by the end of the course they will have built a personal choral library of music that can be implemented in parish choirs. Editorial decisions in performing editions will also be addressed.

This course is only offered every other summer – even years.

Prerequisite: Choral Preparation: Choral Conducting, Rehearsal Techniques, and Group Vocal Pedagogy.

SM-4230: Choral Literature Survey II (2 credits)
Focusing on the development of polyphonic music from the 17th century to the present, this course presents sacred polyphonic repertory of the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, and Contemporary periods. Students will become well-acquainted with the most important repertoire and most significant composers in the canon, and will have the opportunity to encounter some repertoire which is undeservedly less well-known. Tracing stylistic traits through time and in the works of individual composers, students will develop the ability to contextualize works within the overall canon, the organic development of style throughout history, and the sacred liturgy. Students will spend time analyzing and describing salient features of pieces in the repertoire so that they can prepare scores well for excellent conducting in rehearsal, and by the end of the course they will have built a personal choral library of music that can be implemented in parish choirs. Editorial decisions in performing editions will also be addressed.

This course is only offered every other summer – odd years.

Prerequisite: Choral Preparation: Choral Conducting, Rehearsal Techniques, and Group Vocal Pedagogy.

SM-4221: Choral Repertoire Conducting Practicum I (0 credit)
Beginning with a process of preparing scores of significant pieces in the sacred polyphonic canon of the Medieval and Renaissance eras, students will form a choir to sing this repertory, and will take turns serving as the conductor, thereby gaining an experiential knowledge of the music both as a singer and as a conductor. Aimed at activating the artistic imagination of the conductor 87 through inhabiting the sound of the repertory, this course will help students develop a natural approach to expressing those musical ideas through arm and body movements and facial gestures that are effective in eliciting excellent sounds from a choral ensemble. Historical practice technique that informs beautiful work in parish choirs will also be addressed.

This course is only offered every other summer – even years.

Co-requisite with Choral Literature Survey I.

Prerequisite: Choral Preparation: Choral Conducting, Rehearsal Techniques, and Group Vocal Pedagogy.

SM-4231: Choral Repertoire Conducting Practicum II (0 credit)
Beginning with a process of preparing scores of significant pieces in the sacred polyphonic canon of the repertory from the 17th century to the present, students will form a choir to sing this repertory, and will take turns serving as the conductor, thereby gaining an experiential knowledge of the music both as a singer and as a conductor. Aimed at activating the artistic imagination of the conductor through inhabiting the sound of the repertory, this course will help students develop a natural approach to expressing those musical ideas through arm and body movements and facial gestures that are effective in eliciting excellent choral sounds from ensembles. Historical practice technique that informs beautiful work in parish choirs will also be addressed.

This course is only offered every other summer – odd years.

Co-requisite with Choral Literature Survey II.

Prerequisite: Choral Preparation: Choral Conducting, Rehearsal Techniques, and Group Vocal Pedagogy.

SM-412x: Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant (1 credits)
For students who have taken Introduction to Gregorian Chant, this seminar presents various advanced topics in Gregorian chant such as semiology, manuscript studies, rhythmic or modal theory, comparative performance practice, chants of the Mass, chants of the Divine Office, vernacular language chant adaptation, and chironomy. New topics are developed each term by the faculty, with some topics regularly recurring. May be repeated 4 times.

Pre-requisite: Introduction to Gregorian Chant or permission of the program director.

SM-430x: Applied Voice Lessons (1 credit)
Students will make arrangements for 15 weekly 50-minute lessons with a local voice teacher who is approved by the program director after review of the instructor’s CV and academic transcripts. Students are also responsible for finding an accompanist as needed. The ordering of topics covered in lessons will be at the discretion of the teacher, including posture and alignment, breath management, onset of tone, resonance, articulation, phrasing, tuning, and style and expressivity appropriate for the sacred choral repertory of polyphony and chant. Repertoire will include art songs and arias for the development of vocal technique, and time will be devoted to the study of individual vocal technique as applied to the sacred choral repertoire. For final exams each semester (juries), students will prepare a complete formulary of chant propers (Introit, Gradual/Lesser Alleluia, Alleluia/Tract, [Sequence], Offertory, and Communion), their line in 3 motets, and 2 art songs or arias.

May be repeated 4 times or more.

SM-4510: Capstone Project (1 credit)
Students will prepare a choir (4+ singers) and conduct that choir, also singing in it if desired or appropriate, in a series of three fully-sung Masses for various feast days (Sundays, solemnities, or feasts). Course participants will select all the music for the Masses, and each Mass must include all the Mass ordinary (in chant or polyphonic settings), proper chants in Latin or a vernacular adaption, two choral works, and hymnody as needed/desired for the pastoral context. Students will hire/recruit an organist as needed/appropriate to support the choral music through accompaniment, repertoire, and improvisations. In order to prepare a parish for such a series of Masses, students will prepare, advertise, and present a public lecture of at least 30 minutes in length, plus a period of questions and answers. Students are also required to typeset and print a beautiful worship aid, with necessary vernacular translations, for each of the Masses. Following the series of Masses, students will submit a 10-page paper describing the rationale for the repertoire chosen, the experience of choral preparation, and the reception of the lecture and Masses by the parish community. A video recording of each of the Masses and the public lecture must also be submitted.

Pre-requisite: completion of at least 24 of 36 credits in the MSM program. Must be completed in one semester.

SM-450x: MSM Colloquium (0 credits)
Students will meet weekly via Zoom for 1 hour to discuss topics of spiritual, musical, theological, professional, and pastoral interest not discussed in classes. Topics will be covered by professors themselves, or by invited guests. Students may also elect to perform pieces they are working on in Applied Lessons in preparation for juries. Advising about upcoming course enrollments may also take place during this period. Students will be expected to invite their pastors to come to the meeting once per semester on one of several dates throughout the semester.

Elective Courses

SM-4430: Organ Improvisation (1 credit)
Ideal for organists with a solid technical foundation but who have limited training in extemporaneous playing, this seminar will enable students to develop an approach to improvisation at the organ that is built on strong harmonic progressions and good form, utilizing the various melodies of sacred music. Students will grow in their abilities to harmonize melodies, create textures and musical ideas which contribute to thematic and structural development, and pace their playing according to the timing of the liturgy. Group instruction forms the basis of the course, and one-on-one lessons will be included.

Pre-requisite: audition through submission of recordings of 3 organ pieces in contrasting style.

SM-4420: Organ Literature (1 credit)
This course will provide students with an overview of the canon of sacred organ literature, highlighting important composers for the instrument and developing an understanding of notable schools of composition. Special emphasis will be placed on repertoire which grew organically from Gregorian chant as well as the works of the most prolific composers for the instrument (Bach, Franck, Tournemire, Messiaen, etc.) which find a happy home in a Catholic liturgical setting. Starting from a discussion of the fundamental mechanical principles of organ building and sound production, significant developments in organ technology will be discussed with an eye to better understanding the repertoire built for different instruments and the registration thereof. Discussion of methods for launching a successful organ building or renovation campaign in a parish will also be discussed.

SM-4400: Introduction to the Organ for Pianists (1 credit)
For students with at least two years of experience playing the piano, this course covers the basics of good organ technique, registration, pedaling, hymn- and service-playing, and appropriate repertoire. One-on-one lessons will be included.

SM-4410: Organ Accompaniment of Chant (1 credit)
Beginning from a discussion of chant modality at the keyboard, students will learn to harmonize chant melodies through building good bass lines and developing good voicing in interior voices. Through experience in playing written accompaniments in exemplary international schools, students will learn to understand and imitate the harmonic and rhythmic nuances of excellent models by masters of the art of Gregorian accompaniment. Registration, texture, and the accommodation of various rhythmic approaches will also be addressed.

SM-4380: Composition Seminar (1 credit)
For composition students with formal training, this intensive seminar in music composition is focused on the development of facility with species counterpoint. Class exercises and daily assignments will be accompanied by the opportunity to workshop polyphonic works students have written for parish choirs in light of intensive counterpoint study. Time will also be devoted to an exploration of the aesthetic characteristics of music suitable for liturgical use, form and tonal harmony (as needed), and compositional techniques which facilitate the singing of works by parish choirs. Two private lessons and one group composition workshop are included. A portfolio of 3 pieces must be submitted in the application process.

Note: this course is an elective and does not fulfill any degree requirements.

Course Rotation Schedule Summary

Courses offered every year during the summer

• History and Principles of Sacred Music
• Liturgical Theology
• Introduction to Gregorian Chant
• Choral Institute
• Organ electives
• Composition seminar
• Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children
• Choral Preparation: Choral Conducting, Rehearsal Techniques, and Group Vocal Pedagogy
• Advanced Seminars in Gregorian Chant

Courses offered every year during the fall and spring

• Applied Voice
• MSM Colloquium
• Capstone Project

Courses offered every other summer – even years

• Psalms
• History of the Roman Rite
• Choral Lit Survey I
• Choral Repertoire Conducting Practicum I
• Parish Sacred Music Program Management

Courses offered every other summer – odd years

• Fundamental Philosophical Questions about Beauty
• Sacred Music and Canon Law
• Vocal Pedagogy
• Choral Lit Survey II
• Choral Repertoire Conducting Practicum II