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Religions
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Sacred Music: Creation, Interpretation, Experience
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Sacred Music: Creation, Interpretation, Experience

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 November 2025) | Viewed by 7341

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Róisín Blunnie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music, Dublin City University, D09 N920 Dublin, Ireland
Interests: choral studies; conducting and leadership; music in its historical and cultural contexts; creative collaboration; music performance and recording
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bradford A. Anderson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Interests: biblical studies; religious studies; literature and religion; biblical reception history
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will explore the interdisciplinary topic of sacred music in its historical and contemporary manifestations. In particular, it will examine the relationship between text and music, exploring how they are combined in the creation of an artistic outcome and how their dynamic interplay affects the character of each. We welcome submissions centered on the art of combining literature and music for the purposes of sacred music, including the following areas:

  • How composers have set religious texts to music in a variety of styles and genres (Scholars may wish to focus on music of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, Baroque and Classical eras, or on 19th/20th century and contemporary classical repertoire.);
  • Considerations of the interpretation and performance of sacred music in historical or contemporary contexts; 
  • The diverse role of sacred music in both spiritual and secular settings.

Contributions are welcome from scholars of religion, music, and other relevant fields. Submissions may draw on methods such as textual analysis, historical and contemporary musicology, musical analysis and interpretation, and creative or performance-based perspectives.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 150–200 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Dr. Róisín Blunnie (roisin.blunnie@dcu.ie) and Dr. Brad Anderson (brad.anderson@dcu.ie), and CC the Assistant Editor, Ms. Joyce Xi (joyce.xi@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring their proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Róisín Blunnie
Dr. Bradford A. Anderson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sacred music
  • religious studies
  • musicology
  • performance
  • classical music
  • vocal music
  • choral music
  • religious litera-ture

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6947 KB  
Article
Introducing Gregorian Chant to a Malaysian Methodist Congregation: A Case Study
by Cecilia Ting, Eleanor J. Giraud and Helen Phelan
Religions 2026, 17(2), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17020151 - 28 Jan 2026
Viewed by 395
Abstract
This study explores the feasibility of introducing Gregorian chant into contemporary Chinese Methodist worship in Malaysia. Using ethnographic methods including participant observation, interviews, and focus groups, this article documents a pilot study conducted at Sing Ang Tong Methodist Church in Sibu, Sarawak, where [...] Read more.
This study explores the feasibility of introducing Gregorian chant into contemporary Chinese Methodist worship in Malaysia. Using ethnographic methods including participant observation, interviews, and focus groups, this article documents a pilot study conducted at Sing Ang Tong Methodist Church in Sibu, Sarawak, where seven singers learned and performed the communion chant Gustate et videte. Three different transcription editions were created to bridge the gap between medieval square notation and modern Western notation, which is more familiar to the participants. The chant was translated into Chinese alongside the original Latin text. The majority preferred the quaver-crotchet notation edition and supported performing the chant in both Latin and Chinese to balance authenticity with accessibility. Participants found the modal melodic structure and free rhythm challenging initially but developed appreciation for the chant’s meditative qualities. The performance during Holy Communion services in October 2022 received mixed congregational responses, with many describing it as creating a “calm and prayerful atmosphere” while some expressed discomfort with the unfamiliar musical style. The study demonstrates that Gregorian chant can be successfully integrated into Chinese Methodist worship contexts, particularly during solemn liturgical occasions, when approached with appropriate liturgical sensitivity and cultural adaptation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Music: Creation, Interpretation, Experience)
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20 pages, 2213 KB  
Article
Considerations on the Experience of Learning and Performing Plainchant Among Non-Professional Choral Singers in a Contemporary Irish Context
by Rhoda Dullea, Giovanna Feeley and Ann Buckley
Religions 2025, 16(12), 1547; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121547 - 9 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1693
Abstract
Plainchant has formed a core sacred vocal repertory for Western Christianity for over a millennium, and following a surge of interest in chant as an early music repertory over the twentieth century and beyond, it has accrued particular significance for amateur choral singers [...] Read more.
Plainchant has formed a core sacred vocal repertory for Western Christianity for over a millennium, and following a surge of interest in chant as an early music repertory over the twentieth century and beyond, it has accrued particular significance for amateur choral singers involved in church music. This paper is based upon an exploratory qualitative study carried out in 2024, which examined attitudes to learning and performing chant among Irish community and church choirs, and sought to establish levels of interest in performing chant, awareness of resource availability, and perceived barriers to learning. Methods used for the study include an online questionnaire for choral practitioners, with an option for participation in focus group discussions to explore themes raised in questionnaire responses. Thematic analysis was used to explore opinions and experiences of participants as offered in open-ended questionnaire responses and focus group discussions, triangulated by quantitative data provided by closed-ended questionnaire responses. One of the major challenges iterated by choral practitioners in our study was the issue with reading square notation, a version of French thirteenth-century notation developed by the monks of Solesmes Abbey and standardised as liturgical chant notation by the beginning of the twentieth century. This issue is explored in detail in the present paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Music: Creation, Interpretation, Experience)
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17 pages, 1042 KB  
Article
O vis eternitatis, Text Expression, and Performance in the Music of Hildegard von Bingen
by Honey Meconi
Religions 2025, 16(9), 1209; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16091209 - 21 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1782
Abstract
The article analyzes the responsory O vis eternitatis, the symbolic opening of Hildegard von Bingen’s primary music collection, to show how Hildegard’s musical choices support the key words and concepts of the composition. It examines usual components of construction, such as mode, [...] Read more.
The article analyzes the responsory O vis eternitatis, the symbolic opening of Hildegard von Bingen’s primary music collection, to show how Hildegard’s musical choices support the key words and concepts of the composition. It examines usual components of construction, such as mode, melisma, range, and repetition, and shows that the piece is suffused with repetition in a manner not previously detailed. The article also explores a feature usually overlooked in writings on Hildegard’s music: the employment of ornamental neumes to highlight text, identifying instances of unusual frequency or rare use of specific neumes. The article then compares three significantly different recordings of O vis eternitatis, concluding that modern difficulties in the performance of ornamental neumes mean that our renditions today can never fully realize Hildegard’s conceptions. Stripped of their ornaments, Hildegard’s compositions resemble statuary from antiquity that has lost its original paint over the centuries—no longer as the creator intended, but still beautiful and deeply pleasing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Music: Creation, Interpretation, Experience)
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24 pages, 6637 KB  
Article
Style, Tradition, and Innovation in the Sacred Choral Music of Rhona Clarke
by Laura Sheils and Róisín Blunnie
Religions 2025, 16(8), 984; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16080984 - 29 Jul 2025
Viewed by 2399
Abstract
Sacred choral music continues to hold a significant place in contemporary concert settings, with historical and newly composed works featuring in today’s choral programmes. Contemporary choral composers have continued to engage with the longstanding tradition of setting sacred texts to music, bringing fresh [...] Read more.
Sacred choral music continues to hold a significant place in contemporary concert settings, with historical and newly composed works featuring in today’s choral programmes. Contemporary choral composers have continued to engage with the longstanding tradition of setting sacred texts to music, bringing fresh interpretations through their innovative compositional techniques and fusion of styles. Irish composer Rhona Clarke’s (b. 1958) expansive choral oeuvre includes a wealth of both sacred and secular compositions but reveals a notable propensity for the setting of sacred texts in Latin. Her synthesis of archaic and contemporary techniques within her work demonstrates both the solemn and visceral aspects of these texts, as well as a clear nod to tradition. This article focuses on Clarke’s choral work O Vis Aeternitatis (2020), a setting of a text by the medieval musician and saint Hildegard of Bingen (c. 1150). Through critical score analysis, we investigate the piece’s melodic, harmonic, and textural frameworks; the influence of Hildegard’s original chant; and the use of extended vocal techniques and contrasting vocal timbres as we articulate core characteristics of Clarke’s compositional style and underline her foregrounding of the more visceral aspects of Hildegard’s words. Clarke’s fusion of creative practices from past and present spotlights moments of dramatic escalation and spiritual importance, and exhibits the composer’s distinctive compositional voice as she reimagines Hildegard’s text for the twenty-first century. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sacred Music: Creation, Interpretation, Experience)
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