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North American Religions Series
Shout to the Lord: Making Worship Music in Evangelical America
How music makes worship and how worship makes music in Evangelical churches
Music is a nearly universal feature of congregational worship in American churches. Congregational singing is so ingrained in the experience of being at church that it is often misunderstood to be synonymous with worship. For those who assume responsibility for making music for congregational use, the relationship between music and worship is both promising and perilous - promise in the power of musical style and collective singing to facilitate worship, peril in the possibility that the experience of the music might eclipse the worship it was written to facilitate. As a result, those committed to making music for worship are constantly reminded of the paradox that they are writing songs for people who wish to express themselves, as directly as possible, to God.
This book shines a new light on how people who make music for worship also make worship from music. Based on interviews with more than 75 songwriters, worship leaders, and music industry executives, Shout to the Lord maps the social dimensions of sacred practice, illuminating how the producers of worship music understand the role of songs as both vehicles for, and practices of, faith and identity. This book accounts for the human qualities of religious experience and the practice of worship, and it makes a compelling case for how - sometimes - faith comes by hearing.
Music is a nearly universal feature of congregational worship in American churches. Congregational singing is so ingrained in the experience of being at church that it is often misunderstood to be synonymous with worship. For those who assume responsibility for making music for congregational use, the relationship between music and worship is both promising and perilous - promise in the power of musical style and collective singing to facilitate worship, peril in the possibility that the experience of the music might eclipse the worship it was written to facilitate. As a result, those committed to making music for worship are constantly reminded of the paradox that they are writing songs for people who wish to express themselves, as directly as possible, to God.
This book shines a new light on how people who make music for worship also make worship from music. Based on interviews with more than 75 songwriters, worship leaders, and music industry executives, Shout to the Lord maps the social dimensions of sacred practice, illuminating how the producers of worship music understand the role of songs as both vehicles for, and practices of, faith and identity. This book accounts for the human qualities of religious experience and the practice of worship, and it makes a compelling case for how - sometimes - faith comes by hearing.
224 pages, Paperback
Published June 19, 2018
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 20, 2023
Super biased because my former RF wrote this book! Great premise and very good writing, thought it was thorough and well-structured. A bit academic for casual reading for me, still liked it.
1. Worship is hard to pin down, spectrum between human musicality and divine.
2. One license gets access to all Christian music to sing not reproduce which is a super unique model.
3. 218/220 in essential modern worship fall in the same octave and a half which is why they all vaguely sound the same!
1. Worship is hard to pin down, spectrum between human musicality and divine.
2. One license gets access to all Christian music to sing not reproduce which is a super unique model.
3. 218/220 in essential modern worship fall in the same octave and a half which is why they all vaguely sound the same!
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February 18, 2021My interview with Ari Y Kelman:
https://newbooksnetwork.com/shout-to-...
An excellent and well-researched study on how contemporary worship music is made, from songwriters, to worship leaders, to the industry surrounding it. Kelman interviewed dozens of influential members of the contemporary worship music community, and adroitly lays out the assumptions, tensions, and opportunities to “make music that can become prayer.” Highly recommended reading for church musicians.
https://newbooksnetwork.com/shout-to-...
An excellent and well-researched study on how contemporary worship music is made, from songwriters, to worship leaders, to the industry surrounding it. Kelman interviewed dozens of influential members of the contemporary worship music community, and adroitly lays out the assumptions, tensions, and opportunities to “make music that can become prayer.” Highly recommended reading for church musicians.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews