Heart of Our Music

In The Heart of Our Music, master practitioners of the art of liturgical music come together to offer enriching insights, a stirring vision, and practical new ideas that will change the way readers think about liturgy and liturgical ministry. These reflections are written with the needs of parish liturgists and liturgical musicians in mind. This volume includes reflections on the role of composition, the role of music, the kind of language we use, the missionary dimension of our texts and music, whether esthetic beauty is the only quality needed, and how we think about and name God in the songs we sing. Contributors and their articles include: 'A Sacrifice of Praise: Musical Composition as Kenosis' by Alan J. Hommerding; ''The Word Is Near You, in Your Mouth and in Your Heart': Music as Servant of the Word' by Bob Hurd; 'The Songs We Sing: The Two Languages of Worship' by Tony Barr; 'Moving to Metamelos: A New Heart, a New Church, a New Song' by Rory Cooney; 'Beauty and Suitability in Music in the Liturgy' by Paul Inwood; and 'From 'God Beyond All Names' to 'O Agape': Images of God in Liturgical Music' by Jan Michael Joncas.

In The Heart of Our Music, master practitioners of the art of liturgical music come together to offer enriching insights, a stirring vision, and practical new ideas that will change the way readers think about liturgy and liturgical ministry. These reflections are written with the needs of parish liturgists and liturgical musicians in mind. This volume includes reflections on who sings, the kind of music they sing, the acoustic qualities of our worship spaces, the act of singing itself, the sort of idioms we use, the challenges of multicultural music, how we might better evaluate what we do, and music in the US church today.   Contributors and their articles include: 'With One Voice: The Voice of the Church, the Body of Christ' by Columba Kelly, OSB; 'Vox populi: Voice of People, Voice of Thunder' by Steven C. Warner; 'Essentially Vocal Music for the Liturgy' by Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam; 'The Spirit Breathes in the Multiplicity of Liturgical Music Styles' by Lynn Trapp; 'Reflections on Multicultural Celebrations and the Composition of Their Music' by Jaime Cortez; 'Three Judgments, One Evaluation' by John Foley, SJ; and 'Composing for the American Church' by Tom Kendzia.

In The Heart of Our Music, master practitioners of the art of liturgical music come together to offer enriching insights, a stirring vision, and practical new ideas that will change the way readers think about liturgy and liturgical ministry. These reflections are written with the needs of parish liturgists and liturgical musicians in mind. This volume includes reflections on how the music we sing and play comes across to the people, processes for bringing different cultures together, the way we think about liturgy, and the way we think about ourselves in liturgy. Contributors and their articles include: 'How Music in the Liturgy Is Perceived and Received: An Anthropological/Semiological Perspective' by Paul Inwood; 'Collecting Harmony: Three Approaches to Cultural Diversity for Worship Music Today' by Ricky Manalo, CSP; 'The Mothering Wing: Catholic Imagination and Liturgy' by John Foley, SJ; and 'To Be Known as We Are Known: A Possible Future for Liturgical Engagement' by Roc O'Connor, SJ.