Music, Theology and Worship

This book offers a representative collection of insightful essays about devotional music from nineteenth-century scholars and practitioners. Addressing the social and theological import of church music, this text also explores the divine quality of the human voice, the spiritual efficacy of congregational singing, and a host of topics pertinent to church life. Those interested in the relationship of music and religion will find value in the descriptions, opinions, and analyses.

Jonathan L. Friedmann is a professor of Jewish music history at the Academy for Jewish Religion California, extraordinary professor of theology at North-West University (NWU), South Africa, and a research fellow at NWU in musical arts in South Africa: resources and applications. He is the author, editor, or compiler of 19 books on music and religion. Visit his website at jonathanfriedmann.com.

Compiled by Jonathan L. Friedmann
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 219
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6461-6
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8404-1
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Preface 1

Introduction: Psalm 150 and the Theology of Sound 3

Part I: Music and Theology 15

 1. Religion and Music (1893)  (Waldo S. Pratt) 17

 2. A Sermon on Music (1863) (Charles Kingsley) 21

 3. Religious Music (1881) (Horace Bushnell) 26

 4. Specific Claims of Devotional Music (1853) (Thomas Hastings) 40

 5. Music as an Auxiliary to Religion (1841) (Joseph Bartlett) 65

 6. Music as a Language of Religion (1886) (James Vila Blake) 81

 7. The Natural Theology of Music (1883) (Henry H. Higgins) 89

 8. The Music of the Psalms (1894) (John Frederick Rowbotham) 94

Part II: Music and Worship 101

 9. Music and Worship (1879) (E.N. Potter) 103

10. Hints Concerning Church Music, the Liturgy, and Kindred Subjects (1857) (James M. Hewins) 118

11. The Bible Authority for Church Music (1875) (Wilbur Fisk) Crafts 129

12. The Evolution of Church Music (1896) (F. Landon Humphreys) 134

13. The Art of Gregorian Music (1896) (Dom André Mocquereau) 155

14. Thoughts on Congregational Singing (1842) (William Jones) 174

15. Congregational Singing (1868) (Reuben T. Robinson) 180

16. Hymns and Hymn-Tunes (1894) (Richard Blackburne) Daniel 192

Bibliography 207

Index 209