03-Materials of Worship Music
CHAPTER III MATERIALS OF WORSHIP MUSIC
UNDER ordinary circumstances social worship is expressed in Music, Prayer, Reading of the Scriptures, the Announcements, the Offering, the Sermon, and the Benediction. The leader should understand the contribution which each of these exercises may make to the service and should constantly endeavor to make himself increasingly skillful in their use. The relation of music to worship is so intimate that in both its vocal and instrumental forms it is ^powerful agency for expressing and developing religious sentiment. i. THE ORGAN. Its unique adaptability for accompanying choral song makes the organ the sacred instrumentparexcellence. The pastor cannot be expected to be an expert performer, but he should know the religious value of organ music and what is to be accomplished by preludes, interludes, offertories, and postludes. Otherwise he may find himself at the mercy of an organist who takes only professional interest in his work, or, more likely, at the mercy of a congregation whose inattention defeats the noblest efforts of the organist. More regrettable still, in the absence of proper ideals he may himself create the impression that the organ is only “a piece of sumptuary elegance” by his lack of respect for its contribution.
We have already called attention to the organ as a useful agent in fusing the congregation into an emotional unity at the beginning of the service. By the beauty and strength of its tones it commands immediate attention and creates a hospitable state of mind. Lorenz says, “If there were no other justification of the organ prelude,... its influence as mere music in organizing the crowd of individuals into
36 MATERIALS OF WORSHIP 37 a psychical unity were enough. The mere fact that they are listening to the same music, are having a common experience, creates a composite personality that becomes an induction coil intensifying the current of feeling that is to flow to the individual listener.,.. The opening music is not the negligible matter it is usually considered to be.” 1
Just as the organ prelude promotes unity of spirit in the beginning, so the interludes, responses, and offertory are useful in stabilizing emotion when there is danger of it being broken up by interruptions or sudden changes of direction in the service. For example, most congregations are disturbed by the belated arrival of many persons after the general prayer. Again, the offering tends to retard the movement of the service. And during the holy communion, the movement of the congregation threatens the social self that has been created by the prayers of the service. An organ interlude at such times may intensify the prevailiijg ’ mood, and retain the attention of the congregation in spite of the distraction. In like manner the postlude should stabilize the feeling in which the congregation finds itself at the close of the service. As a matter of fact, however, many organists manage to dispel that feeling immediately by the crashing, militant kind of number selected for this part of the service.
We have been thinking of the pipe organ. But the congregation which cannot afford such an instrument need not despair of having its service enriched by instrumental music, for these effects may be approximated upon a reed organ or piano by a good musician. Indeed, some leaders of church music are not at all sure that a pipe organ is an unmixed good. “Given a small congregation that is not hearty in its participation in the service of song, given an organist who thinks that he is the whole thing and that the more stops he pulls out the more evident is his musical capacity, and the organ becomes a thing of evil, smothering 1 E. S. Lorenz, Practical Church Music, p. 4of. Used by permission of Fleming H, Revell Company.
38 THE PASTORAL OFFICE and submerging the choir and congregation, and absolutely domineering over the whole service and neutralizing all its possibilities for good... The very bigness of the pipe organ magnifies the mistakes and inefficiency of an incompetent organist.” 2 The personality of the organist is more important than the instrument. His function is ministerial and his music should be a genuine expression of his personal faith, hope, trust, and love. Only to the extent to which his playing is self-revelation will he contribute largely to worship. It must follow that lack of respect on the part of the congregation for the work of the organist is exceedingly reprehensible. Yet how commonly members of the congregation feel at liberty to visit with each other during the musical parts of the service! And how frequently one sees even the minister conversing with a guest in the pulpit at these times! It is always a solemn thing for a human being to unveil the deepest feelings of his heart to public gaze. This the minister does in his public prayers and sermon, as the organist should do when he plays, or the soloist when he sings. If irreverence and inattention are unseemly in the presence of the one at such a time, it is equally so in the presence of the others.
2. THE CHOIR. The mediaeval church regarded membership in the choir as a clerical office. This view gradually developed under the control of the ascetic ideal which required that the choir should be composed only of men and boys, and, later, only of priests. Under this theory the choir came to monopolize the musical part of the service and the congregation was reduced to silence. This theory still exists in the Roman Church, but is modified greatly in its practical working. 3 The Protestant conception of the priesthood restored to the congregation its right to participate in worship. Nevertheless in some modern Prot 3 Lorenz, op. cit f p. 373. Used by permission of Fleming H, Revell Company.
*J. J. Van Oosterzee, Practical Theology, p. 386.
MATERIALS OF WORSHIP 39 estant churches the choir has again absorbed largely the musical part of the service and the congregation participates most sparingly in song. This has come about through a false notion of the function of the choir that it is a device for adding variety to the service, or a means of elevating the musical tastes of the congregation, or of ministering to its artistic pride. The democratic ideal of worship requires that the choir shall be thought of as a “specialized segment of the congregation” As such it must assist the congregation in congregational song and express, as the representative of the congregation, the worship of the people in musical forms that are beyond the ability of the untrained multitude. I have not found a more satisfactory statement of this principle than the one made by Pratt in his Musical Ministries in the Church^ “The first purpose of the choir is to support and foster congregational singing... Here I mean much more than a vague moral sympathy. I mean, of course, that a first reason for a choir’s existence is that it may furnish a vocal nucleus to which the voices of the people can attach themselves, a positive mass of harmony in which every singer in the congregation can find his place with confidence and comfort... The second function of the choir grows directly out of the first... Congregational hymn-singing has obvious limitations on the musical side. It can hardly be expected, save in exceptional cases, to pass beyond the use of simple forms like the chant and the hymn tune. Yet the tonal embodiment of prayer and praise and of declarative utterances of all kinds tends constantly to stretch far beyond these smaller musical forms. The uses of music for these expressive purposes are surely not to be confined wholly to what an accidental, heterogeneous and untrained assembly can ^accomplish... Here the choir comes in to extend and supplement congregational action as a vicarious agency. Choir music, then, is partly designed to supply forms of congregational expression that *Waldo Selden Pratt, Musical Ministries in the Church, p. 86ff.
Used by permission of Fleming H. Revell Company.
40 THE PASTORAL OFFICE the people in general are technically unable to offer in person.” But there is a large measure of truth in the mediaeval conception of the choir. It is the teacher and inspirer of the congregation as well as the instrument through which the congregation expresses its adoration and praise. In the latter respect its service parallels that of the minister in prayer; in the former, that of the minister in preaching. At one moment it faces toward God in worshipful address and at another it faces the congregation with instruction and exhortation. 5
If these constitute the true function of the choir, it is obvious that the purely artistic and professional interests of the singers must always be subordinated to the religious in selecting and rendering choir music. They do not sing primarily to entertain the congregation, but to lead the people into a spirit of prayer and worship. However great may be the musical skill of the choir, its work is a failure if it is not done in a manner which increases the devotion of the congregation. As to form, choirs vary greatly in America. Some churches prefer the choir composed of men and boys.
Others have especial regard for the mixed quartet. Generally, however, the choir is a chorus of male and female voices. Each of these types has advantages and disadvantages. The fresh voices of a boys’ choir are delightful, but the problems of discipline and irregularity of attendance make it difficult to maintain. The quartet is easily managed, but is likely to be controlled by purely professional, artistic, or even commercial considerations. The volunteer chorus is democratic, and is capable of producing under proper direction effects far beyond the power of the quartet. But while democracy solves some problems it creates others. The irregularity of attendance of a volunteer chorus, its quarrels and misunderstandings, the musical shortcomings of many of its members, and the wide diversity of musical ’Pratt, op. dh, p. zoof.
MATERIALS OF WORSHIP 41 tastes are sources of constant anxiety. The ideal choir is a volunteer chorus built around a quartet so that there will be at least one trained voice for each part. In the interest of variety it may be wise to substitute occasionally an “adjunct choir” composed of boys, or girls, or young people of both sexes, for the regular chorus. In the selection of music, 6 the leader should have regard for the capacity of the choir. A quartet should not select music which can be rendered effectively only by a chorus, and a chorus should not choose a grade of music beyond its ability to sing well. The capacity of the congregation must be considered, also. A kind of music that will serve admirably the needs of some congregations will distress others. And the temporary mood of the congregation must be taken into account. If the choir is to express for the congregation its worshipful feelings, its musical forms must accord with the spirit of the special occasion. Finally, the preference of the minister who hds charge of the service must be respected. In the interest of unity the prevailing consideration in selecting the music cannot be the preference of some member of the choir who.”likes” a certain anthem, but what will make the largest contribution to the service as the leader has planned it. This implies, of course, that there must be the closest cooperation between minister and choir leader. The subject of dress may become engrossing in a choir.
Tastes in millinery and clothing vary so greatly and strangely that the array of colors and styles in the choir may interfere with the spirit of worship. This problem may be solved in one of two ways: require all to wear vestments of black or white, or insist upon modest, inconspicuous clothing of a certain general type. In most cases the latter course will be more advisable.
If the choir is the mouthpiece of the congregation expressing vicariously the praise and petitions of the whole assembly, it should be composed ideally of none but those “Lorenz, op. cit. f pp. 293-298.
42 THE PASTORAL OFFICE who love God and desire to worship him. How can they worship for others who do not worship for themselves? It does not follow, however, that a pastor or Music Committee should be in haste to expel from the choir all so-called unconverted people. And, certainly, there is no warrant for making church membership a condition of membership in the choir. Religious experience is always relative, and there are many whose hearts reach Godward but whose spiritual attainments have not seemed to justify a public confession of faith. Let the pastor speak often to the choir of the ideals that should control them in their work, exalting the ministerial character of their service, and this will create an atmosphere in which one will not tarry long who does not find it congenial.
Repeated reference has been made to the relation of the pastor to the choir. The importance of this relation cannot be overemphasized. The finest results are never secured where the choir has a large sense of independence, presuming to select not only the anthems but the hymns without regard for the plans which the minister may have for the service. This lack of cooperation, however, is chargeable against the pastor quite as often as against the choir. The wise pastor will take the choir into his confidence, revealing his ideals for their common work, meeting with them frequently at rehearsals, not to direct them but to show appreciation of them, and he may well meet them as they prepare to enter the service for a moment of earnest prayer that the spirit of worship may be upon him and them as together they attempt to lead others in worship. This will result in a fellowship which will be mutually delightful. The pastor should be final authority in the selection of hymns and anthems, but he will be careful to exercise this authority in tactful ways. He will come with requests rather than commands, and will covet and act upon, as far as possible, suggestions from the choir. The initiative, of course, in all these matters, must come from him.
3. CONGREGATIONAL SONG. Important as the organ axnd MATERIALS OF WORSHIP 43 choir may be, “the true center of Protestant music must always be the music of the congregation!’ The reason appears in the fundamental theory of Protestant worship that worship is the common right of the whole body of believers. The principal means through which the congregation may express itself collectively is congregational song. This is one of the indispensable agencks for creating and developing religious sentiment an important means of impression as well as expression. On these accounts every pastor should be eager to make the singing of the congregation as effective as possible. To do this he must know something of the history and religious value of hymns.
Congregational singing in the language of the people antedates the Reformation. 7 As early as 1505 A. B. the followers of John Hus had a well-developed body of hymns and tunes for congregational use. Both Luther and Calvin exalted this element of worship, but the influence of the German reformer was very different from that of the Frenchman. Luther cherished a great affection for the German folk-songs and the old Latin hymns which were a part of the Daily Office of the Roman Church. The fact that the hymn was a free composition, and not merely a paraphrase of Scripture, did not make it objectionable to him. On the contrary, he found it to be a most effective instrument for spreading the new gospel. At once he began to write German hymns based without prejudice upon the Scripture, the old Latin and Bohemian hymns, and his own religious experience. These were set to suitable music and placed in the hands of the people. The result is that the history of German hymnody continues without interruption from the beginning of the Reformation until the present, and is much richer in the number and quality of its hymns than is English hymnody.
Unlike Luther, Calvin had no taste either for the popu
T The reader is referred to the excellent work on The English Hymn, by Louis F. Benson, for the history and development of English hymnody, to which work I am greatly indebted.
44 THE PASTORAL OFFICE lar songs of the people or for the hymns of the Latin Church. He approved of no congregational songs except those based upon Scripture, and practically limited himself to metrical versions of the Psalms. Thus it came about that wherever Calvin’s influence predominated in the spread of the Reformation, psalm-singing, as distinguished from hymn-singing, characterized Protestant worship. Because of this, English-speaking peoples became psalm-singers and remained so for almost two centuries after the Reformation.
Unfortunately, the men who made the earliest metrical translation of the Psalms into English Sternhold and Hopkins were neither good poets nor accurate translators.
Moreover, the Psalms belonged to the earlier stages of revelation, and, however satisfying they may have been for the time that produced them, they could never meet the larger demands of Christian worship, for in them the worshiper could not name the name of Jesus. Again, some of them breathed a spirit that was un-Christian. During the seventeenth century a group, including such Anglicans as Bishop Ken and John Mason, a Catholic like John Austin, and a Nonconformist like Richard Baxter, attempted to “Christianize the Psalms,” making them say what modern believers would say, and to find in other parts of the Bible and in the more evangelical Latin hymns the materials for congregational songs. Their work was only preparatory, however, to the more important work of Isaac Watts, whose relation to the Christian hymn is at least comparable with that of David to the Hebrew Psalm.
Watts* work now seems unduly restricted. His hymnforms were practically limited to the three simplest meters long, common, and short. For the materials of his hymns he refused to go outside the Bible on the ground that this contained the record of Christian experience in all its ranges, and therefore no occasion was found for going beyond the bounds of Scripture for hymn themes. More strangely still, he declared that hymns could not be poetry MATERIALS OF WORSHIP 45 since they must be adapted to the capacity of the common mind. He claimed no more for his own hymns than that they were rimed verse. In all of these respects his ideals contrasted sharply with those of the Wesleys. In the early part of the eighteenth century the conditions of congregational song were more sorry, if possible, in the Church of England than among Nonconformists. The singing of psalms “lined” by a precentor was the universal practice. John Wesley described the custom in the town churches of ’his day with picturesque adjectives: “the miserable, scandalous doggerel of Sternhold and Hopkins”; at first droned out two staves at a time “by a poor humdrum wretch/’ and then “bawled out” by a handful of “wild, unwakened striplings,” “who neither feel nor understand” what they “scream,” while the congregation is “lolling at ease, or in the indecent posture of sitting, drawling out one word after another.” 8 His desire to improve the psalmody of the English Church is responsible for his contribution to English hymnody. For, according to Benson, “the leader who played the part in Methodist hymnody which Calvin had taken in Huguenot psalmody was, contrary perhaps to the general impression, John Wesley, and not his brother Charles. He planned it, prepared the ground, introduced and fostered it, molded and administered it, and also restrained its excesses.” 9 The Wesleys were trained to sing both psalms and hymns in Epworth Rectory. They were admirers of the work of Watts and used his Hymns and Songs in the Holy Club. But it remained for the Moravians to reveal to them the superiority of a fervid type of hymn-singing over the uninspiring psalmody of the Anglicans and the Nonconformists. This Moravian influence upon Methodist hymnody is marked by the number of hymns translated from the Ger
8 Reprinted and condensed from The English Hymn, p. 222, by Louis F. Benson by permission of the publishers, George H. Doran Company.
“Benson, op. tit, p. 220.
46 THE PASTORAL OFFICE man and by the spiritual fervor of Methodist singing, though John Wesley repudiated the “whimsical Allegories” and “perverted spiritualizations” which characterized Moravian hymnody about the middle of the eighteenth century. The work of the Wesleys in developing the English hymn is admittedly second only to Watts. But for the “reproach of Methodism” which caused Anglicans and Nonconformists alike to hold the followers of Wesley in contempt, their influence might have been even greater. Charles wrote some six thousand five hundred hymns, though it is only fair to. say that many of these were so mediocre that never more than seven hundred and twenty-four were admitted to any Methodist Hymnal, and in the official Methodist Hymnal, adopted in 1905, the number is reduced to one hundred and twenty. The best of these are found in the hymn books of practically all Christian bodies. John Wesley enriched the store of English hymns not so much by original compositions as by translating from the German, by “tinkering” the hymns of others, and by editing a number of hymn books. “His equipment for this undertaking,” says Benson, “was his sound musical feeling, a very limited technical knowledge, and an unusual practical sense.” 10 More important than the number, however, was the new type of hymn which they produced, the evangelistic hymn based upon individual Christian experience. Charles Wesley “felt an impulse to translate every new spiritual experience into song... His hymns are frankly autobiographical They portray without any effort to tone down his own heightened emotions to the average level, his personal spiritual history: his unrest and even agony under bondage to the law, his instantaneous conversion and assurance of faith, the period of ecstatic joy, the ups and downs of the pilgrim progress to the ’second rest/ his delight in the anticipation of death.” 11 Naturally, this type of hymn sung “Benson, op. tit, p. 239.
“Reprinted from The English Hymn, p. 249, by Louis F. Benson, by permission of the publishers, George H. Doran Company.
MATERIALS OF WORSHIP 47 by the multitudes with fervor created the kind of experience which gave it birth, and Methodist singing became the most powerful single agent in the Methodist revival.
Furthermore, the Wesleys improved the literary quality of the hymn. In contrast with Watts, whose measured verse was “written down to the level of the meanest capacity/’ they insisted that “the hymn should be a religious lyric” and that the capacity of the people should be leveled up to an appreciation of the beauties of true poetry. There is reason to think that some modern Methodists are following Watts rather than Wesley in the use of “rimed verse” instead of poetry in congregational singing. The history of the English hymn, after Watts and Wesley, breaks up into many diverging streams under denominational, literary, and revivalistic influences. A brief study of the authors’ index of the latest Methodist Hymnal will suggest the extent to which hymnody was enriched during the nineteenth century by contributions from every one of the more important religious bodies, and of the catholic spirit of their work. The same book, too, shows the influence of broader literary standards which admit a type of religious lyric not regarded heretofore as adapted to public worship, for example, Holland’s “There’s a Star in the Sky,” and Lanier’s “Into the Woods My Master Went.” The revival movements of the last century created a new body of spiritual songs designed to make an immediate appeal to the popular mind. The inferior quality of most of these songs will prevent their admission into church hymnody, though this may not apply to some of the nobler “Gospel Songs” of Moody and Sankey when the copyrights expire.
Change in religious thought and feeling is bound to be reflected in time in a new type of church song. The influences at work at the present time to modify the English hymn are mainly theological and social. The modern point of view respecting these matters appears conspicuously in the new Congregational Hymn Book, The Pilgrim Hymnal, 48 THE PASTORAL OFFICE published in 1904. Doubtless we shall see further evidences of these influences in other denominational hymnals in the near future, The value of a hymn is determined, of course, by the degree in which it serves the purpose of congregational song. We have noticed already that it is useful in unifying the many individualities into a single group-self. This may justify at times the use of an inferior or even a nonreligious song at the beginning of the service. Such songs as “The Church in the Wildwood,” “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere,” and “Brighten the Corner Where You Are,” possess in themselves little or no religious value, for they do not express any definite religious faith. They are sentimental rather than religious. It is the music rather than the stanzas which accomplish the effect produced by such songs. The rhythm of the music tends to bring all together into a common state of emotion that is indispensable to a successful service. “I Love to Tell the Story,” “He Leadeth Me,” and “O Sometimes the Shadows are Deep,” set to the tunes commonly associated with them, possess the same unifying power and, in addition, have a definite religious content, for they are genuine expressions of personal faith in God. The former type of song could never be used appropriately in any except an informal service, and even then only at a point in the service where the rhythm of the music was more important than the thought expressed in the words.
Again, congregational singing is the most effective method of expressing collective prayer and praise. For this purpose the ephemeral “gospel song,” whose effect is physical rather than spiritual, and due to the -music rather than the words, is unworthy. As an expression of faith it is too often inane. John Wesley instructed his preachers to interrupt the “noisy hymn” and ask the congregation a few questions like tRe following: “Now, do you know what you said last? Did it suit your case? Did you sing it as to God, with the spirit and understanding also?” Such an interruption is not only a test of the soberness of the congrega MATERIALS OF WORSHIP 49 tion but also a very severe test of the quality of the hymn. To raise such questions about some of the songs used commonly in public services would be deadly. For no one really means what the songs say, and the realization of this would cause the congregation to turn away from them in disgust. There is a place in social worship for the rhythmical, mediocre song but it is not a large place. “God has a right to be worshiped with the best we have/’ And when the aim of the song is to express a living and rational faith, none but the songs that are lofty in thought and dignified in expression are worthy either of God or the congregation. It may be that for a time a minister must accommodate himself to the limitations of a congregation that is lacking in appreciation of the better hymns and is incapable of singing them, but he should be ashamed to leave them long in that condition. He can do nothing that will have a more favorable effect upon their spiritual lives than teach them to express their praise in worthy musical forms. A third function of. congregational singing, which constitutes a third test of the value of a song, appears in its effect upon the individuals that compose the congregation.
It is a means of impressing as well as expressing religious truth. Doctor Pratt says, “The value of any particular hymn is partly to be judged by the state of opinion and sentiment in which it actually leaves you. Is it true in its thought of’ God and Christ, in its reference to all the manifold aspects of sin and salvation, in its representation of the spiritual life? And is it healthy in general tone, affecting in its imagery and masterful in its progress, and sufficiently noble to awaken enthusiasm for what it treats? These are severe tests, but are they not fair ones?” 12 In this respect the modern gospel song again appears unworthy. Its thought of God and Christ is often very far from true, its ethical tone is generally individualistic, and its imagery and “Musical Ministries in the Church, p. 67. Used by permission of the. publishers, Fleming H. Revell Company.
50 THE PASTORAL OFFICE forms of expression often are so lacking in nobility that one is repelled rather than attracted to the subject.
If these constitute the true function of congregational singing, it must be that the hymn stands in its own right in the service, co-ordinate with, and not subordinate to the sermon. Both, however, must contribute cooperatively to the movement of the service in a given direction. The hymn need not deal directly with the subjects treated in the sermon, but it should create a congenial atmosphere and express a spirit that is kindred to that of the sermon. This is especially true of the first and second hymns of the Methodist Order of Worship. Many ministers prefer that the closing hymn should reinforce directly the thought of the sermon, intensifying the emotional response of the congregation. Finally, it is evident that the leader of public worship is the only person who is in position to select the congregational songs intelligently.
Let us attempt to select some hymns by way of illustrating the principles just stated. Assume that the aim of the service is to lead the congregation into an appreciation of the value of prayer. The sermon, of course, should deal with the subject in a way to clear up intellectual confusion and arouse the will to pray. What hymns should be chosen from The Methodist Hymnal for this service? Inasmuch as prayer is communion with God, the opening hymn may properly express the joy which the devout heart experiences in divine fellowship and should be set to a rhythmical tune whose spirit accords with that of the hymn. We might well use hymn No. 330, beginning, “My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”; or better, perhaps, hymn No. 364, beginning, “My Saviour, on the word of truth In earnest hope I live”; or hymn No. 540, which begins, “O could I speak the matchless worth.” If the Creed, Prayer, Anthem, and MATERIALS OF WORSHIP 51
Scripture Lesson shall have been used advantageously, the atmosphere will be sufficiently worshipful, that the second hymn may be much more stately than the first. Cowper’s hymn, No. 454, is now appropriate, “Sometimes a light surprises The Christian while he sings.” For -the closing hymn, one should be selected with the wistful note, dealing directly with the subject of prayer and strengthening newly formed resolutions to pray. Hymn No. 495 is good: “From every stormy wind that blows”; or hymn No. 355, “Love divine, all loves excelling.” In announcing hymns the leader is bound to give them the consideration to which they are entitled as the most important means for the expression of collective worship.
They should not be announced indifferently, as though the aim were simply to do a conventional thing or to fill up the time, but earnestly as though there were nothing more important at that moment than to sing that particular hymn in the right manner. Whether or not the hymn shall be read, wholly or in part, depends upon the purpose of the leader in reading. If he desires to call attention to its significance for life and religious experience let him read by all means. But if the reading is done mechanically and for no serious purpose, the door is opened immediately to unreality. Better no reading at all than this kind.
It follows that the minister should be a diligent and lifelong student of hymns and tunes. He should see to it that his own acquaintance with congregational song is constantly growing and should manage to introduce such variety of singing into the worship of the church and Sunday school that the people will come to love the best in church music. Let him magnify the official hymnal of the church and master its music and poetry. He should teach a new hymn to the congregation frequently, and sing it often until it is familiar. He may give pleasing variety to regular services by telling historical incidents connected with many of 52 THE PASTORAL OFFICE the great hymns. To guard against a narrow range of choice, he should keep a record of hymns used on the successive Sundays of the year, avoiding frequent repetition of the more familiar numbers.
BOOKS RECOMMENDED FOR FURTHER STUDY Waldo Selden Pratt, Musical Ministries in the Church.
E. S. Lorenz, Practical Church Music.
Louis F. Benson, The English Hymn; Studies of Familiar Hymns.
Edward S. Ninde, The Story of the American Hymn.
Edward Dickinson, Music in the History of the Western Church.
Peter C L/utkin, Music in the Church.
Nutter and Tillett, The Hymns and Hymn Writers of the Church Hymnal.
Carl F. Price, The Music and Hymnody of the Methodist Hymnai John M. Walker, Better Music in Our Churches.