Dan Schutte

Biography

Schutte grew up in Elm Grove, Wisconsin and graduated from Marquette University High School before entering the Society of Jesus.

He was one of the founding members of the St. Louis Jesuits who popularized a contemporary style of church music set to sacred texts sung in English as a result of the liturgical reforms initiated by the Second Vatican Council.

He released nine collections with the St. Louis Jesuits and a 30-year anniversary collection in 2005. Their second recording, Earthen Vessels sold over one million albums, and as a result, beginning with hymnals such as Glory and Praise, their music became standard repertoire in Catholic parishes across the country. Other members of the St. Louis Jesuits are Bob Dufford, Roc O'Connor, John Foley and Tim Manion. He left the Society of Jesus in 1986.

His compositions are primarily written for liturgical use, particularly in Catholic worship but, over time, have found their way into Protestant worship. Some of the more notable include "City of God" (1981), "Only This I Want" (1981), "Blest Be the Lord" (1976), "You Are Near" (1971), "Though the Mountains May Fall" (1975), "Sing a New Song" (1972), "Glory and Praise to Our God" (1976), "Here I Am, Lord" (1981), "Table of Plenty" (1992), "River of Glory" (2001), and "These Alone Are Enough" (2004), his setting of the Ignatian Suscipe prayer.

"The St. Louis Jesuit Mass,"(1973), co-authored during his collaborative years, was the most used Mass setting in the United States during the 70's and 80's. With the implementation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition in 2012, it was decided not to revise it. Schutte's composition of "Mass of God's Promise" (1996, revised 2010) continues to have wide use. "Mass of Christ the Savior," released in 2012 quickly became one of the most widely used Mass Settings throughout the English speaking world.

Many notable Christian artists such as Chris Christian, Amy Grant and John Michael Talbot have recorded his compositions.

In 2006, he wrote the component of a major catechetical program for teachers on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola and the use of music in prayer. In 2009, Twenty – Third Publications released a new book Walking the Sacred Path – Spiritual Exercises for Today.

He continues to compose new music, write about spirituality and is an in-demand presenter on liturgy, and the role of music as sung prayer.

In addition to his Jesuit formation, Schutte holds two master of arts degrees, one in theology and one in liturgy from The Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. Schutte is also an alumnus of St. Louis University and Seattle University. He did graduate studies in music composition under the direction of Fr. Kevin Waters S.J. at Seattle University. He has received three honorary doctoral degrees for his contribution to the life of the church. Two of the honorary doctorates are in humane letters and the third is in music.

Schutte presently is Composer-in-Residence at the University of San Francisco.

Recognition

His music in contemporary Catholic culture

Schutte continues to be one of the most influential composers of contemporary Catholic liturgical music today.

Many of Schutte's compositions, often based on sacred texts, have also found wide use in Protestant hymnals.

A recent poll conducted by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians found among members that Dan Schutte's hymn "Here I Am, Lord" placed second among "songs that make a difference". Other polls conducted by major Catholic music publishers and copyright license requests show a similar trend that Schutte's music is among some of the most requested by pastoral musicians for Catholic liturgy.

Around 2008, the United States Bishops Committee on Divine Worship, announced a new Vatican directive regarding the use of the name of God in the sacred liturgy. Specifically, the name "Yahweh" may no longer be "used or pronounced in songs and prayers during liturgical celebrations" which affected the use of Schutte's famous song, "You Are Near". This directive, however, did not include singing the song in its original form using "Yahweh" for personal prayer or outside of "liturgical settings." The song has since been revised for liturgical settings.

Discography

1. Neither Silver nor Gold (1973) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
2. Earthen Vessels (1975) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
3. A Dwelling Place (1976) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
4. Gentle Night (1977) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
5. Lord of Light (1981) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
6. The Steadfast Love (1985) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
7. Let Heaven Rejoice (1997) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
8. Lift Up Your Hearts (1996) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
9. May We Praise You (1997) (St. Louis Jesuits collaboration)
10. Lover of Us All (1989)
11. Drawn By A Dream (1993)
12. Always and Everywhere (1997)
13. Here I Am, Lord: Anthology 1970–1985 (2001)
14. Glory in the Cross (2001)
15. You Are Near: Music For Quiet Reflection (2003)
16. Prince of Peace: Music for Advent and Christmas (2004)
17. Morning Light (2005) St. Louis Jesuit collaboration
18. All My Days: Instrumental Music for Quiet Reflection (2006)
19. One Lord of All (2007) St. Louis Jesuits Instrumental collection
20. God's Holy Gifts (2008)
21. Table of Plenty: Anthology 1985–2000 (2008)
22. Here I Am, Lord: 30th Anniversary Edition (2009)
23. Companion music for Walking the Sacred Path (2009)
24. To Praise You (2012)
25. Age To Age – Generations of Faith (2012) (collaboration with Steve Angrisano and Curtis Stephan)
26. Mass of Christ the Savior - Expanded Edition (2013)