Master of Sacred Music

Private study Organ, piano accompaniment, or voice

The Bibliography course is usually taken during the first year of study and is taught by the music librarian. It introduces students to the resources necessary to do research in music courses.

Private study in area needed to strengthen student's skills.

Masses, Passions and Requiems. An historical survey of Western sacred vocal repertoire, from Gregorian chant to the development of polyphony in Masses, Passions and Requiems by composers such as Leonin and Perotin, Shutz, Bach and Mozart.

Historical survey of choral repertory from the 14th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

Techniques for working with children singing in choirs. Including a survey of children's liturgical music literature. Home-schooled students may often be used as a resource.

A study and practice of chant. An historical survey of Gregorian chant and its place in the liturgy. Latin chant and chant in other languages.

Participation in Diocesan Choir rehearsals, singing at masses, and other services.

This is a synthesis course in which students will need to apply Music Theory Knowledge to analyze, criticize, compose and arrange music works.

Historical survey of organ literature and its application in a liturgical church setting.

An examination of the beginnings of Church hymnody, the Western sacred vocal repertoire of French and Italian composers of the Romantic period, and British and American 20th and 21st century sacred music, including the African-American spiritual and Gospel repertoire.

A study of liturgical resources and practices available for the ever evolving multicultural church.

A study of English, Latin, French, German, Italian and Spanish pronunciation. Presenting texts through music that are comprehensible for the worshiper.

The director's role in presenting liturgical choral music, including rehearsal techniques, diction, balance, phrasing, interpretation and working with instruments.

Techniques for singing as a soloist/cantor and the role of the voice in a choral setting. The student should have at least two semesters of previous collegiate-level private studio voice study for success in this course. A pianist/organist should have two semesters of voice lessons as a prerequisite and is required to accompany a student singer during several voice lessons. Students will be required to teach a short sequence of lessons to a non-major student, and demonstrate teaching for the class.

The Roman calendar, liturgical year, 3-year cycle of readings, the role of music in liturgy, liturgy of the mass.

Other forms of liturgy including liturgy of the hours, weddings, funerals and ordinations, role of cantors, chant, singing of psalms, hymnody, and documents of the Church.

1) MSM students will be invited to two or three larger Houston-area parishes with thriving amateur choral programs for adults and children to observe rehearsals and liturgies directed by professional church musicians. 2) MSM students will be mentored by musicians who have worked in the field and better understand how clergy and church musicians collaborate to prepare meaningful and thoughtful music appropriate for the liturgical year. They will accomplish this by attending worship committee and/or liturgy planning meetings; by learning fundamentals of administration, including planning, finances and budgeting; by developing procedures for forming a choir and engaging the congregation in the musical life of the church. 3) MSM students will write a paper on a topic related to observations made. 4) The MSM student will be required to plan and conduct or accompany a mass with appropriate liturgical music in the Chapel of St. Basil on the UST campus, with the permission of the clergy of the Chapel. 5) It is strongly suggested that the student sing with the RC Diocesan Choir as well as being more fully connected to the larger diocesan community. In the Houston area there often are opportunities also to sing larger oratorio and mass settings with an orchestra.

Student research on a selected problem in the field pursued under the guidance of an assigned member of the faculty.

Graduate level treatment of selected topics of mutual interest to the faculty member and students.

Graduate level treatment of selected topics of mutual interest to the faculty member and students.