PT (Praying Twice)

The Music and Words of Congregational Song

by Brian Wren

I am a poet who is also a pastor, theologian, and teacher. I am fascinated by public worship in its varied forms, teach and practice worship design, and am interested in what people sing, especially, when they sing together. Grafted into a hymn-singing tradition, and glad of it, I recognize the need for a variety of styles in congregational song. I have come to appreciate musical styles formerly unknown or foreign to me, and to accept as valid styles that offend me theologically, or aestheically leave me cold.

I write with pastors and seminarians particularly in mind, but also lay worship leaders, musicians, people who enjoy singing in church, people who conswider themselves unmusical and people who care about the words they say or sing. I hope this book will be especially useful to churches that traditionally empnasize congregational singing, expecially hymn singing. I write as an Englisham in a North American context, with an eye to other parts of the English-speaking world.

[From the Introduction]

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 2000

ISBN: 0-664-25670-8

Subject Heading: Church Music, Hymnody, Music and Criticism

Chapter Headings:

1. Through All the Changing Scenes of Life: Glimpses of Congregational Song

London, England: 1970 C.E.
England: 1873 C.E.
South Carolina: 1862 C.E.
Plymouth, England: 1746 C.E.
England and New England: 1742 C.E.
Berlin, Germany: 1639 C.E.
York, England: 1644 C.E.
Geneva, Switzerland: 1558 C.E.
Northern Germany: 1461 C.E.
Cluny and Le Thoronet, France: 1200 C.E.
Rome: 452 C.E.
Jerusalem: 400 C.E.
Milan, Italy: 386 C.E.
Antioch, Syria: 200 C.E.
Cenchraae, Greece: 55 C.E.
In and around Jerusalem: 4 B.C.E.
Jerusalem: 197 B.C .E.
Israel: 1100 B.C.E.
Israel: 1200 B.C.E.

2. Rescue the Holy Pleasure: Why Congregational Song is Indespensable

3. A More Profound Alleluia: Encouraging the Peoople's Song

4. Some Demand a Driving Beat: Contemporary Worship Music

5. And Speak Some Boundless Thing: Assessing the Lyrics of Congregational Song

6. Sing The Over Again to Me: Refrains, Choruses, and Other People’s Songs

7. Captured by Gener: Chant and Ritual Song

8. Such a Feast as Mends in Length: Hymns as Poems of Faith

9. To Me, To All, Thy Bowels Move: Why Do They Keep Changing the Good old Hymns?

10. Echoes of the Gospel: How Hymns Do Theology

Epilogue: Findings
Endpiece
Appendix: Selected Hymns
Bibliography
Indexes

Visit Brian Wren's home page: Brian Wren; also see Partners in Praise