The Hymnal 1982 Companion


Book Description

The complete four-volume set includes major essays and relevant discussions of the musical forms in The Hymnal 1982 which cover such topics as popular religious song, cultural diversity, the relationship between The Hymnal 1982 and the liturgies of The Book of Common Prayer, the development of service music in the Episcopal Church, hymn forms, and a brief history of Christian hymnody in the United States and Britain. In addition, complete information is given on all hymns and service music which includes the sources of text and music as well as biographical and technical facts. (2,949 pp)







Glory to God: A Companion


Book Description

This informative resource provides a brief history of each hymn in the popular hymnal Glory to God. Written by one of the foremost hymn scholars today, the Companion explains when and why each hymn was written and provides biographical information about the hymn writers. Church leaders will benefit from this book when choosing hymn texts for every worship occasion. Several indexes will be included, making this a valuable reference tool for pastors, worship planners, scholars, and students, as well as an interesting and engaging resource for music lovers.




Historical Companion to Hymns Ancient & Modern


Book Description

Comprehensive information on the history of hymnody and the history of Hymns Ancient and Modern up to the revised edition of 1950. Notes on words and tunes. Many useful indexes and biographical details on authors and composers.




An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church


Book Description

A comprehensive, quick reference for all Episcopalians, both lay and ordained. This thoroughly researched, highly readable resource contains more than 3,000 clearly entries about the history, structure, liturgy, and theology of the Episcopal Church—and the larger Christian church worldwide. The editors have also provided a helpful bibliography of key reference works and additional background materials. “This tool belongs on the shelf of just about anyone who cares for, works in or with, or even wonders about the Episcopal Church.”—The Episcopal New Yorker




A Companion to the New Harp of Columbia


Book Description

"The shape-note tradition first flourished in the small towns and rural areas of early America. Church-sponsored "singing schools" taught a form of musical notation in which the notes were assigned different shapes to indicate variations in pitch; this method worked well with congregants who had little knowledge of standard musical notation. Today many enthusiasts carry on the shape-note tradition, and The New Harp of Columbia (recently published in a "restored edition" by the University of Tennessee Press) is one of five shape-note singing-manuals still in use."--Jacket.




The Living Church


Book Description




Church Music in America, 1620-2000


Book Description

The history of American church music is a particularly fascinating and challenging subject, if for no other reason than because of the variety of diverse religious groups that have immigrated and movements that have sprung up in American. Indeed, for the first time in modern history-possibly the only time since the rule of medieval Iberia under the Moors-different faiths have co-existed here with a measure of peace- sometimes ill-humored, occasionally hostile, but more often amicable or at least tolerant-influencing and even weaving their traditions into the fabric of one another's worship practices even as they competed for converts in the free market of American religion. This overview traces the musical practices of several of those groups from their arrival on these shores up to the present, and the way in which those practices and traditions influenced each other, leading to the diverse and multi-hued pattern that is American church music at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The tone is non-technical; there are no musical examples, and the musical descriptions are clear and concise. In short, it is a book for interested laymen as well as professional church musicians, for pastors and seminarians as well as students of American religious culture and its history.







Music--God's Mysterious Gift


Book Description

People hear and enjoy music but seldom consider how great a gift it is. God made human minds and bodies able to respond to musical sounds. Because each brain interprets the signals based on personal experience, reactions vary. Neuroscience is learning how a brain handles the melodies, rhythms, and chords and how they penetrate a person’s memory. With easy delivery of digital files one musical selection links to a similar one. Who can know what a nearby listener fancies? Personal choice is a lonely search for truth and for music. What role did God give to music in Israel’s life and ritual when priests were to play trumpets or rams’ horns and Levites, appointed by David, were to use lyres, harps, and cymbals to lead worshipers in song? How did Jesus want music to be used? Did Paul identify the best use of music when he instructed disciples to raise their voices in thanksgiving so the Spirit could use their songs to build each other up in faith and service to God? God’s gift of music benefits everyone. Listeners enjoy the sounds. Music lovers share selections with others. Believers use songs to become stronger followers of their Lord.