Joseph Casasanta

Joseph Casasanta served as Director of Bands at Notre Dame for 19 years, beginning in 1923. He also served as Chairman of the Notre Dame Department of Music from 1927-32 and as Glee Club Director from 1927-38. During his Tenure as Band Director, Casasanta composed many Notre Dame school songs such as Hike, Notre Dame, On Down the Line, When Irish Backs Go Marching By, and Notre Dame, Our Mother, written for Knute Rockne’s funeral in 1931. While Casasanta did not compose the Notre Dame Victory March he did provide the first scoring for marching band as well as the 1932 published arrangement currently performed by the Notre Dame Band. Professor Joseph J. Casasanta died on December 1, 1968.