Customer Reviews (14)

Great ideas but not a great read
I'll agree with other reviewers on some of the criticisms of the book in that it doesn't necessarily read very well. Peacock does take a long time on expository setting up his main point of how the CCM industry's worldview may be misguided when it's probably not needed. The audience for this book presumably is already Christian, whether they be record company label heads and workers, musicians, or just dedicated listeners of gospel music. If you're involved with the music, you probably know the history.

I also felt that perhaps too much attempt was made to "blame" CCM's often utilitarian [i.e. music strictly as salvation tool] emphasis on John Wimber and his followers (Please note: I am not personally a member of the Vineyard..nor would I even consider myself charismatic. I just felt that he was singled out as being the cause of CCM theology being more oriented to the experiential rather than the theological...i.e. how do I FEEL about God as opposed to what do I learn about God from His WORD)

That being said, Peacock rightly points out that if CCM truly does intend to reach the lost, it's not doing a good job of spending promotional money and aiming marketing at putting its artists in places where they're more likely to find the unconverted (i.e. trying to get them into bars, coffeehouses, mainstream music fests, etc etc etc) He also suggested (I believe correctly) that the industry's focus on appealing to what it perceives as the desires of the already converted in terms of lyrical expression, direct testimony and salvation appeals at live appearances, and artists parroting the "approved" answers in interviews tend to stifle the musicians' proper role as artists and limit the reach they can have within the greater culture at large.

While I'm not sure whether Peacock has the answers to really getting the message out to those who need to hear most and of restoring the Church to its place of preeminence in the arts, it appears he's at least asking the correct questions and that's a good start.

From the inside
Charlie has written probably one of the most thoughtful treatise on the CCM monster.I have my own issues with this industry and dare I say, Peacock addresses 90% of them.He also does it in a fashion that is fair and careful.He clearly wants to see the artists thrive and looks at the chasm that has grown between the church and the artist.Leaving many artists to forage on theirown without support from fellow Christians, or to water down their art into a palatable cheerleading craft.Ministry, art, stardom are all topics Charlie approaches with great care and concern.If some are offended by Charlie's approach, it is through not fault of his, and they are likely people who find fault everywhere but with themselves.This is an excellent book for anyone curious about Christian music, both where it's been and where it's can go.

A Wake Up Call
Where did Christian music come from and what were its early driving forces? What mistakes were made that caused many of the problems we wrestle with today to arise? What exactly IS Christian music? Is music to be used only for ministry? Where is Christian music going? How do we, or even CAN we, meld our music with business, and what about the partnership with the mainstream record companies?

These are questions that Peacock confronts head on, using history, reason, common sense, and, most importantly, solid Biblical scripture and principles. He has truely strived to give a fair and balanced view of the situations that we are in, and then appealed the the Scriptures to give Biblical solutions and answers to the problems and roads that we are facing. No matter what position you take on any of the above issues, you should be touched and encouraged by what Peacock lays out here, since he does it gently and Biblically, and he really is one of the best equipped men to do something like this. Steven Curtis Chapman wrote "I know of no one who has wrestled more profoundly with these issues and how they may relate to the arts, especially Christian music, than Charlie Peacock."

If you're planning on entering a career related to CCM in any way this should be required reading, but even as a fan it's something you'll want to pick up. It should radically alter the way you think about Christian music and view its place and mission in the world, as well as affect your over-all Christian walk as you try to approach life from a Kingdom Perspective. I give At the Crossroads my full support and recommendation, both critically and as someone who has a passion, love, and concern for CCM and its future.

not just about CCM, but about life
This book is tremendously awesome.That's too bad that some people have gotten confused with what Peacock was trying to say.The book is wonderful in declaring we should be living our lives with a Kingdom Perspective.TheKingdom Perspective is one of the most useful connotations I havediscovered in my recent Christian walk.This book shows how importantGod's word and truth are.They are what we should base our decisions on.

An instructional approach to CCM
Having in my life been more accustomed to making fun of CCM than actually supporting it, I approached this book with the sole purpose of trying to understand why such an industry exists and what an insider, and a musicianI have a lot of respect for has to say about it.What I found was a bookthat focused more on what Peacock calls the "kingdom life"principle and less an informative background and history of CCM and itsshortcomings.Clearly, the difference between what Peacock has done hereand what I was looking for is the difference between something written by ascholar and something written by a musician.I'm in no way knockingPeacock's intelligence, because I feel that he did appropriate research forthe book, I only had hoped it would be more of an informative book than itis.The style in which he constructed the book, breaking down each chapterinto subtitles often confused me and kept the book from being a cohesiveunit.I admire his presenting the issues on every side and not taking adefinite side, and his use of Bible verses highlighted the importance ofthe Gospel not only in the industry, but also for the fans of the industry,however I would have much rather been taken down a more informative thaninstructional path.In going into this book I had little interest in anyof the music coming out of the closed CCM market, and I would say now thatI have even less desire to give out "Christian Charity" to any ofthose artists. ... Read more

Product Description

A perfectly portable collection of 60 top Contemporary Christian songs, including: Abba (Father) • Awesome God • Breathe on Me • Circle of Friends • Friends • The Great Adventure • The Great Divide • Here I Am • His

... Read more

Product Description
Contemporary Christian music has an increasing yet controversial influence on church worship today. This book discusses the topic from a biblical viewpoint and makes a case for using contemporary music in worship -- with theological integrity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A Terrible Witness
In my review of Worship in Spirit and Truth, I began with the following: "In my review below, I am fairly critical of this book. I want to make abundantly clear, however, that this critique is in no way meant to refer to Mr. Frame himself. If nothing else, I am comforted in knowing that Mr. Frame brings nothing but good intentions and honestly held beliefs to this work. And as a theologian of some note he should do nothing less. Though I think Mr. Frame is wrong in a number of respects in this book, I hope my critique does not have any flavor of disrespect for Mr. Frame himself."

It grieves me to say that I cannot put forth the same disclaimer in reviewing this book.Frame expends a large amount of paper personally attacking the critics of contemporary worship music (CWM).The instances of this are too numerous to recount them all here.However, as examples I provide the following:

"Like [Marva] Dawn, [D. G.] Hart obviously has little firsthand knowledge of the CWM literature.So in some respects, his diatribe scarcely deserves serious attention." (p. 110).
"But why this remarkable carelessness in research and argumentation from people who are ordinarily intelligent and balanced in their theological judgment?...One suspects that the critics' problems with CWM are not merely theological, but personal, even emotional." (p. 129)
"To say that it 'robs both churched and unchurched people alike of the Living Lord of life,' 'deforms and trivialized Christianity,' or that it presents 'less of a gospel' or 'an inferior gospel' betrays at best the speaker's ignorance, false criteria, or bad temper." (p. 81)

There are numerous other examples.Indeed, in the last two pages of Chapter 11 Frame does nothing but argue that the critics of CWM or motivated by nothing but their emotions.Somewhat bewilderingly, at the conclusion of his personal attacks on CWM critics, Frame turns around and advocates civility."It is important for both sides to put away the flame throwers and speak to one another with the wisdom and love of Christ." (p. 127).Indeed!Frame's incivility in this book is discouraging, to say the least... in fact, it's really disgusting.The instances where Frame passes judgment on the motives of CWM critiques almost always follow a quotation from the critiques in question.My impression was that the CWM critique were focusing more on the problems with CWM as they saw it, not on the problem with CWM supporters.For Frame to turn around and ascribe bad motives to these people is really gross.Granted, I have not read the works by any of the CWM critics that Frame cites (with the exception of D. G. Hart; I've read one article by Hart, but it wasn't one cited by Frame).And perhaps upon reading these works I will find those authors to be as uncivil as Frame was here.But I must admit: I hope I do not.

What is more, Frame's analysis is incredibly weak.It would be one thing to write a book with rich, deep and thoughtful analysis and, as an aside, point out the relative weakness of the other side's works.But this book is itself too superficial to provide Frame with any foundation to call into doubt any other person's work.A telling example is Frame's treatment of the argument that CWM is the product of narcissism.Frame complains that "critics of CWM, with little if any hesitation, regularly identify CWM with what Christopher Lasch called 'the culture of narcissism.'I find that approach quite unjustifiable, and I find it hard to believe that critics of this sort have given more than superficial attention to the texts of the music." (p. 32)Later, Frame says, "[o]ne cannot say that CWM is narcissistic and then turn around and say that CWM is too focused on praise as opposed to laments and sorrows." (p. 37).This really is the whole substance of Frame's analysis of whether Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations has something to say about CWM.Ironically, Frame's discussion of Lasch betrays a superficiality and ignorance that is the central point of his attack on the CWM critics.As Lasch uses the term "narcissism," you indeed can say that CWM is narcissistic and then turn around and say that CWM is too focused on praise as opposed to laments and sorrows.This is all by way of saying that if Frame was going to be so persistent in attacking the ignorance and superficiality of the CWM critics he would have done well to engage in an in depth retort as opposed to a flippant dismissal.

In sum, this book seemed motivated by Frame's personal animus toward the CWM critics like Hart.Frame just seems frustrated with the critics and he just wanted to attack their positions throughout the book.While Frame may ultimately be correct on the merits, spending 170 pages to personally attack those who disagree with you hardly seems like a productive way to make your point.And above all, it provides a terrible witness of what should be a wonderful example of how Christians of different opinions resolve differences.Frankly, I would be ashamed if a non-Christian told me he read this book.

I would like to shift gears.It would not be fair to Frame to highlight the pervasiveness of his personal attacks without addressing some of the substance of this book.But in doing so, I must make a couple of admissions.First, I approached this book already having read Worship In Spirit In Truth.I found that book to be relatively weak, so I didn't expect much out of this book.Second, though I haven't read the works of the CWM critics, I am somewhat familiar with their arguments and find them to be persuasive.Third, and somewhat related to the second, I am not sympathetic to the use of CWM in organized worship.It's not that I dislike the music or the lyrics (in fact, there are many CWM worship songs that my church uses that I like very much on both grounds); I simply have principled reasons why I think CWM should not be used.That being said, I read this book because I wanted to familiarize myself with the arguments in support of CWM, and I wanted to see if there was and validity to them.My church utilizes CWM, so I wanted to educate myself.

On the whole, I was not impressed with Frame's effort.There is just not enough analysis; instead, this book is filled with conclusory statements.I also think Frame makes logical and analytical mistakes.This review is getting long, so I'm not going to get into examples.Suffice it to say that this book needed to be twice as long (or, as it were, the same length minus the personal attacks on the CWM critics).This is not to say that Frame doesn't make good points.He is right to emphasize that worship music must be intelligible to the worshipers and that this is one of the strengths of CWM (though I don't conceded that traditional hymnody is unintelligible per se).And, as with Worship in Spirit and Truth, I appreciate that Frame attempts to approach this topic with a Reformed perspective, employing the regulative principle and emphasizing sola Scriptura.One thing I really liked about this book is that it puts forth all of the issues and arguments relating to CWM.I think that Frame often misrepresents the nature of the CWM critics' positions, but at least he tries to put those positions forward for analysis.

I am now at the end of writing this review, and I am on the fence: do I give this book one star or two?To be honest, I would give this book two stars (as I did Worship in Spirit and Truth), because there are nuggets of value within.However, I just can't get over the disgraceful way Frame conducted himself in writing this book.To me, this feature of the book overshadows any merit it might have and makes it utterly worthless.There are too many other books on this topic (both for and against the use of CWM) that are not saturated with hypocritical personal judgments to waste time reading this book.If it weren't for the fact that the worship leaders and elders at my church rely heavily on Frame to support the use of CWM, I would have stopped reading this book once Frame personal animus because the apparent thrust of his entire effort (somewhere in chapter three).One star for a misguided project.

Poor Defense
For several years now, I have worked at understanding what the Bible teaches about music in general and worship music specifically. Most of what I have learned has led me to a more conservative and traditional viewpoint. In ordering this book, I was hoping to find that the author would build a biblical case for why so many churches are switching to a more modern music style. Personally, I felt that by using the name "Contemporary Worship Music" the author hindered his argument. Most arguments today center around the genre of Contemporary Christian Music. Contemporary Worship Music is a much more broad concept that includes music from both the CCM genre as well as other styles. By incorporating so many styles, he is making it much more difficult to know what he is defending and rejecting.

Also, the vast majority of the book was spent defending the lyrics of the song. From what I have learned, most people would say that the lyrics are only a minor concern. If they are Christ-honoring lyrics, then use them. The lyrics argument is usually more an argument of preference than real biblical fact. However, the music itself is where things become more divisive. I just felt like he spent too little time discussing the facts and using Scripture to defend the music itself.

This book, I felt, did not lead me in any direction, but just stirred a pot of confusion. In an already difficult discussion, there must be a defining of terms; a drawing of a line; a specific biblical stance taken. Watered down personal opinions only add fuel to the fire--and this fire is already out of control.

A Problem right off the start
I grew up in traditional churches, trained in traditional music, and as a young adult, began to listen to, and enjoy, CCM/Worship music, but, over prayer and careful consideration of what I heard, I turned back to my traditional roots, and away from 'worship' music, in particular. Why?

Well, the very name of the book says why: "Contemporary Worship Music..." If you will study your Bibles a bit, you'll see that worship is never about music-it has nothing to do with music, ever. Worship is prayer, speaking to God, normally seen in the Bible on the face or the knees before the Lord. Sometimes music is associated, but it is always considered 'praise', never 'worship'-these two things are distinct from one another in form and function. So, the entire premise is faulty. Once the foundation is wrong, the rest will eventually fall. I have read the reviews of the theological expertise of frame, but having no understanding of this simple fact makes me question the rest of his defense.

A solid, balanced book
I read this book after reading Dan Lucarini's book on the same topic.I found John Frame's arguments to be excellent.Of course, it always helps that I agreed with him, and have reached the same conclusions.In fact, I knew and used the vast majority of the contemporary songs that he mentioned in his book, before being forced out by a group of rebels who rejected my balanced approach in favor of a louder, edgier, in-your-face music style with less doctrinal content in the lyrics, and with less connection to historical Christianity overall (hymns are old and dead, and you can't worship God while holding a hymnal).

I only wonder if this book is not already outdated.I wish Dr. Frame would write a follow-on volume to this book, since the quality (musical and theological) of contemporary Christian music seems to have declined so precipitously in the past few years, due to an apparent attempt by the industry to expand its crossover appeal (and market share) at the expense of being overtly Christian.I would be very interested to hear his writings on "christian" music of the past five years, and the lifestyle of those who propogate it.

A Unique Perspective
Written as a sequel to his earlier work on Worship in Spirit and Truth, this book focuses upon the new trend of Contemporary Worship Music (CWM), beginning with an all too brief theology of music and then exploring the pros and cons of this style of music.The author brings a unique perspective to the work as he personally favors a more classical style of music while still endorsing the value of this modern trend.

Though Frame is a competent theologian, his experience in the strengths and frailties of CWM go beyond the classroom as he draws from his extensive experience in leading worship in both traditional and contemporary settings.An honest attempt is made to balance both the pros and cons of CWM as each of the arguments for and against this style is presented.In the end, Frame advocates a mixture of both classical, traditional and contemporary music.In this era of intellectual and theological pluralism, it could be argued that his approach is a surrender to the philosophy of the world.But instead, it is seen to be in keeping with the principle stated in 1 Corinthians 14 that worship is to be understandable to the worshipers; that it is to take the form both of their spoken as well as their musical language.

This conclusion of a diversification of musical styles is even more important if a congregation is itself composed of a mixture of various ages and cultural background.Frame speaks out against the popular tactic of dividing congregations into traditional and contemporary, pointing out that both groups need each other.

Because I minister in a very cross-cultural setting, both with respect to age as well as with different national backgrounds, it becomes imperative that I am increasingly sensitive to the cultural translation or worship.My own tendency might be to move further toward Contemporary Worship Music, but I need to be equally sensitive to those who speak the language of traditional hymnology.

On the other hand, Frame reminds the reader regarding Contemporary Praise Music:"These songs are very close to the biblical text, focus on the praise of God, and communicate well with people of our time.It is hard to imagine why any knowledgeable Christian thinker would reject such music.But as we have seen, many do so out of ignorance of the songs and because of broader theological agendas wrongly applied to the CWM songs" (Page 129). ... Read more

Product Description
The revised 2nd edition of this favorite in our Big Book series features 50 of today's top CCM hits: Always Have, Always Will * Angels * El Shaddai * Find a Way * Friends * The Great Divide * I Will Be Here * I'll Lead You Home * Jesus Freak * Let Us Pray *Love in Any Language * A Maze of Grace * People Need the Lord * Pray * Shine on Us * Speechless * This Love * Thy Word * To Know You * Undivided * Via Dolorosa * Whatever You Ask * Where There Is Faith * Wisdom * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Big Book Of Contemporary Favorites
Yes, This book has a lot of songs from the 80's and 90's. Not current ones. But that being said there are a lot of songs thatbring me back to when I first accepted the Lord as my Savior. I am excited to learn them and share them with my church family and friends. I must say that Amazon has been a pleasure to deal with. ... Read more

Product Description
"How To Produce, Release & Market Your Own Music CD" is a helpful resource for those who want to release there own CD to the public. It is also a simple look at key industry terms and practices. It covers starting your own label, producing your own music, artist management and the differences between major and indie labels. Its a good start for any artist, group or band who want to sell and promote there own CD. This book is written for the normal person who wants to get started in the music business. It covers many areas of music business in a detailed,
simple and creative way. The book covers steps that the author took to achieve the same goal. You can use this book as a reference guide, study guide or a source of research before getting into the music business yourself. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an illustrated introduction to the history and practice of Christian music. The main body of the text goes through the whole period of Christian music's history. The book looks at music in the Orthodox tradition and in Africa, as well as music for worship in 20th-century Europe and America. This comprehensive survey of Christian music covers a range of musical styles and tastes. It includes new material on music in Latin America. ... Read more

Product Description
25 contemporary Christian radio favorites, including: Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) * Bring the Rain * Does Anybody Hear Her * East to West * Every Time I Breathe * Everything Glorious * Give You Glory * God with Us * How to Save a Life * In Better Hands * Miracle of the Moment * Something Beautiful * Undo * You Alone * and more. ... Read more

Product Description
This unique devotional is written expressly with the musically inclined in mind. Each of the fifty-two devotions is titled with a musical term, such as "Allegro" or "D. S. Al Fine," using that term to form the content. After a definition of the term, author Jack Coleman offers an insightful devotional lesson readers can learn from. Each devotion includes Scripture quotations and musical settings that illustrate the musical terms.Musicians, students of music, and anyone who enjoys music and wants to learn more about how God uses it to inspire and instruct us will love this one-of-a-kind devotional. Includes a foreword by Cliff Barrows, music and program director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and endorsements from Michael W. Smith, Kurt Kaiser, and Don Moen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great for christian musicians!
I love how this book uses musical concepts as daily inspirations. I never thought i'd see music this way. Great for christian musicians.

A Rare Treasure
I first met Jack Coleman during the summer of 1966.(I was 11 years old at the time)My friend Pam Fancher encouraged me to join the children's choir at First Christian Church, Santa Ana.Jack Coleman was the director of music there.

Jack was an amazing human being, who touched the lives of countless people.He did much more than simply pontificate on christianity ... his life and actions embodied it.

As a child, when my family life was in turmoil, he prayed with me and helped me find help.When I was too poor to pay for voice lessons, he taught me free of charge.We corresponded for years.When he passed in 1985, I felt as if I'd lost a family member.

I cried when I first read the contents of this book, as the memories of Jack came flooding forward.I'm grateful that his estate published this treasure.It's so much more than a simple reference manual with definitions of musical terms.It shows how to live life fully, completely and spiritually.

Jack Coleman was an astonishing man, a great teacher, and one of the most genuine people I've ever met.Thank God his insights and spiritual wisdom lives on within the pages of this wonderful book. ... Read more

Product Description
The WOW #1s songbook includes 31 chart-topping songs in easy piano arrangements from the Ready-To-Play Series. With musical styles ranging from Pop, Adult Contemporary and Rock to Worship and Gospel, WOW #1s truly represents the very best in Christian music.Songs include: Awesome God * Big Enough * Big House * Butterfly Kisses * Dive * Don't Look at Me * Flood * Gather at the River * God * God of Wonders * He Reigns * He's My Son * Holy * I Can Only Imagine * I Still Believe * If We Are the Body * Jesus Freak * Kiss Me * Lead Me On * Live for You * On My Knees * One of These Days * Open the Eyes of My Heart * Place in This World * Redeemer * Show Me Your Glory * Stomp * Testify to Love * There You Go * Undo Me ... Read more

Product Description
This collection provides flute and guitar duos with an effective repertoire for wedding ceremonies, and gives prospective brides and grooms a happy musical alternative to the venerable church organ. Arranged in four sections: Prelude Music, Processionals, Meditations, and Recessionals. Many of the pieces in this volume are well-known works often associated with weddings; others, less familiar, were included for their musical content and mood. Guitar parts in notation only. A separate part is provided for the flutist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Exactly the right choice for weddings..
This is a competent, important collection for the classical guitarist who plays weddings. It has most of the 'required' pieces, however does not include the important Canon in D(No doubt the editor is trying to send a message to the wedding crowd!). I like most of the fingerings and has some nice material that cannot be found elsewhere. As noted in the other review, a violin can easily be substituted as well. Page turns are a problem, but with some copying and taping this flaw is fixed. Highly useful and recommended.

great for a classical guitar wedding gig
this book is good because the flute part can also be played by violin, so you have some options there.It is easy to read and everything that you need.The only problem is some page turns here and there but otherwise good
... Read more

Product Description
17 easy piano arrangements by Bill Wolaver of such hits as: I Can't Live a Day * Live for You * More * Show Me Your Glory * Spoken For * and more. ... Read more

Product Description
23 favorites arranged with beginners in mind, including: Abba (Father) * Awesome God * El Shaddai * Friends * The Great Divide * How Beautiful * In Christ Alone * In His Presence * Joy in the Journey * Let Us Pray * People Need the Lord * Place in This World * Shine on Us * Thy Word * The Warrior Is a Child * and more. ... Read more

Product Description
The definitive guide to the meaning of today’s most popular praise and worship songs.
Few things influence Christians’ understanding of the faith more than the songs they sing in worship. The explosion of praise and worship music in the last fifteen years has profoundly affected our experience of God. So what are those songs telling us about who God is? In what ways have they made us more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ? In what ways have they failed to embody the full message of the gospel?

Working with the lists of the most frequently sung praise and worship songs from recent years, the authors of this book offer an objective but supportive assessment of the meaning and contribution of the Christian music that has been so important in the lives of contemporary believers.

Customer Reviews (4)

Contemporary report, but lacking otherwise
I chose to purchase this book on account of the "VIEW NOW" feature on Amazon, which usually gives me a pretty fair chance to know what the book is about.The dazzling cover sure helped also.But, the majority of the content turned out to be empty stats on specific songs in Contemporary Christian Music. I was hoping for a message, as the first part of the title suggests, but it turned out to be much more geared towards the latter half of the title.For those desiring to dissect specific, popular, ACTUAL songs and lyrics in CCM, this is definitely the book for you. For instance, if a pastor isnt sure on playing specific songs like "Breathe" or "You Are My Life" in church, the book may prove of some value. But, if you are looking for a Biblical pro and con evaluating contemporary musical worship, its effects, origins and it's core value to Christians, I suggest you look elsewhere.Put it this way, the book focuses in on how a "donut" tastes, if it is sweet or sour, if it makes you cry or makes you happy, which is good to know, but fails to convince one whether or not that donut is healthy in the first place.

Correcting Deficiencies
The details are somewhat burdensome, HOWEVER they are a part of the book's strength. The 'scientific' approach lays a strong foundation for the conclusions reached vs. conclusions based on feelings and/or prejudices.
I sense that the writers were carefully chosen, so I trust that process and basically trust the writers. Thus the conclusion sections were valuable to me.
It is helpful to have the writers suggest how CWM composers could correct present deficiencies in current CWM.
John Witvliet's concluding chapter is meaty.

Balanced and Informative
This well edited publication put into words what I had often felt: something was missing or awry in our contemporary church music.The best part is that each author offered constructive criticism and suggestions.This should be in the hands of worship leaders and pastors across the country in all types of churches.What a gift to the Christian community!

contemporary praise and worship music
The Message in the Music: Studying Contemporary Praise and Worship
Brian Walrath and Robert Woods have brought together a series of essays on contemporary worship music.The ten essays are authored by knowledge-
able people from a variety of disciplines.The author of each section of the book gives a broad and honest appraisal of the history and the impact of contemporary Christian music.

The book gives the reader the feeling of attending a seminar on the subject of Christian music where the presenters deal with various aspects - both positive and negative - of contemporary Christian music and the influence of this music on the church.

The Message in the Music will be a great help to music students and to those who teach in the field of Christian music.Pastors, worship leaders, theologians, and writers and producers of Christian music will find this book a valuable resource.The book would also be very effective for small group discussion.

I found the book a very good read and most inspirational and informative. ... Read more

Product Description
The Oxford Choral Classics gathers together over three hundred of the world's choral masterpieces into a unique series of seven volumes that span the whole of Western choral literature. Each volume contains all of the established classics of its genre under a single cover, in authoritative new editions and at a budget price. European Sacred Music is the second volume in the series and a fabulous value for money. From the Allegri Misereri to the Victora O vos omnes, John Rutter and co-editor Clifford Bartlett have researched the best available sources and provided excellent new English singing translations and sensible, practical keyboard reductions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Choral Music
The only reason I ordered this book is because I am a member of a local choir and ordered it as it is in the choir's repertoire and contains a wide spread of Church Choral Music for SATB voices.I prefer to have my own copy rather than a library one.

The Quintessential Standard
If you only ever purchase one volume of sacred choral music, this should be the one.Oxford + Rutter = 54 "Standards" of European choral music in an edition that is well researched, edited and engraved.Some notes from the preface:

The period covered in this volume is from about 1500 up to the twentieth century...
Sacred music from Britain appears in a separate volume.
With only one or two exceptions, only complete, self-standing compositions are included, not extracts from larger works such as masses, cantatas and oratorios.
With few exceptions, pieces wiith orchestra accompaniment (...) appear in the Sacred Choruses volume.
With one exception, choral arrangements of music not original for choir or vocal ensemble are excluded, as is music in less than four voice parts.
Advent, Christmas and Epiphany motets appear in a separate volume and are excluded.(From page iv of the preface)

Now that we've listed what isn't included... well... what IS included is simply fantastic.I can't think of a more useful volume for concert or high-church choirs.The efficiency of purchasing a collection over individual octavos should not be overlooked.The average price of choral octavos these days is about $2.00.With a volume like this, you couldn't even copy (from a legal source, of course) these pieces so cheaply.

This volume makes a lovely gift for choral singers, too.

Top notch choral compendium
A usual Oxford Press is top rate!From the clean voice leading to the acurate translations - you simply can't beat it.For my madrigal choir this is a required book.

A MUST for your choral library!
This compilation of choral gems is one of my prized possessions! It has some tried and true classics like the Cantique de Jean Racine (Gabriel Fauré) and some less mainstream but equally gorgeous pieces, like the Salve Regina (Francis Poulenc). There are some historical and performance notes included. To a teacher, a conductor, student: this is a book you will use and use; there is something for everyone!

Excellent Resource
This is an excellent book of some of the better choral classics.I have sung some of them for years (Mozart's Ave verum) but others are not so familiar (Viadiana's Exaultate justi) to some old friends in a differentarrangement (Franck's Panis Angelicus in SATB).Difficulty ranges fromfairly easy to difficult, with something for everyone.A good collectionfor any serious classical chorus or church choir. ... Read more

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What were the methods and educational philosophies of music teachers in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance? What did students study? What were the motivations of teacher and student? Contributors to this volume address these topics and other -- including gender, social status, and the role of the Church -- to better understand the identities of music teachers and students from 650 to 1650 in Western Europe. This volume provides an expansive view of the beginnings of music pedagogy, and shows how the act of learning was embedded in the broader context of the early Western art music tradition.

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12 songs: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing * Christmas Is All in the Heart * Angels We Have Heard on High * Carol of the Bells * Precious Promise * more. ... Read more

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The Hal Leonard Christian Guitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play guitar. This comprehensive and easy-to-use beginner's guide uses well-known praise and worship songs to teach you the basics of guitar style and technique. The accompanying CD features all of the songs in the book for demonstration and play-along. Songs include: Awesome God * Blessed Be Your Name * Here I Am to Worship * How Great Is Our God * I Could Sing of Your Love Forever * Oh Lord, You're Beautiful * Open the Eyes of My Heart * You Are My King (Amazing Love) * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Christian Guitar
I personally think the Hal Leonard Guitar Methods are the best on the market as far as ease of use, practicality, understanding, and with the CD it really helps when trying to learn new music.Most of my books are Hal Leonard and I recommend them. ... Read more

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Designed to speak clearly and intelligently to non-musicians and musicians alike, Inside Film Music is a must for every film music fan. Through its more than forty lively, insightful interviews, it delves deeply into the creative process, the basics of musical thought, filmmaking's collaborative nature, and the individual psyches of its participating composers. It covers every current style of film music, the essence of what it means to writea score for motion pictures ... and much more.

Composers featured included Academy Award Winners John Barry (Dances with Wolves, Out of Africa, Goldfinger, Dr. No); Rachel Portman (Mona Lisa Smile, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat); Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare in Love); and Gabriel Yared (Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley, City of Angels, The English Patient).

Also interviewed are Academy Award Nominees John Debney (Sin City, The Passion of the Christ, Bruce Almighty, Spy Kids); Philip Glass (The Hours, Kundun); Mark Isham (Freedom Writers, The Black Dahlia, Home for the Holidays, Quiz Show);Marc Shaiman (How Harry Met Sally, Ghosts of Mississippi, A Few Good Men, City Slickers, Misery); and Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, The Polar Express).

Additionally there is commentary from Marco Beltrami (Hellboy,The Terminator 3); Mychael Danna (Little Miss Sunshine, Capote); Cliff Martinez (Wonderland, Traffic, Sex, Lies and Videotape); and Jeff Rona (TV series: Homicide, Chicago Hope, Profiler). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

a book of Idle, worthless chit chat
I bought this book based on the reviews here. After I read it, I came back to reread the reviews to see what could have made me want to buy it. "Indispensable??" For what purpose would this book be indispensable? "In Depth??" Did you mean "deep in doodoo"? In Depth.... In DEPTH?? Depth of what?? Well it's kind of a thick book I guess. If it's a "must have" book, I can't figure out what you must have it for. Maybe the reviewer could clarify exactly what it is that you MUST have this book for to accomplish.

Maybe I have misunderstood that this book is for people with lots of time and curiosity, who like to get a feel for what it would be like to be at a celebrity party and slap your famous composer friend on the back and ask "so how's the film biz" and then he says really informative (and in-depth) stuff like "just ran into Jerry (Goldsmith) the other day and it reminded me of how much fun we had back in those days when we did it different and,..and that reminds me of a story about theater costumes back when they put them on one leg at a time, and we had no particular awareness of who was creating what, and I think it worked pretty good. But I spent a long time with the buddhist community and I don't think I know anything about the buddhist faith." [yes, I pulled most of these lines from the book] "Well nice talking with you, its been a real pleasure." And then you feel really "in" with the happenin' crowd because you got to chew with the big boys.

If you're looking to CREATE film music, skip this. There is NOTHING here for you that will further your PRACTICAL knowledge. If there is some morsel somewhere in the book, you will have to read 300 + pages to find it. This book is written as entertainment, not usable information. There are a few definitions of terms in the first part of the book, but they are short, poor descriptions, sparse on information, assuming, and leave you with more questions than they answer.

Another mistake buy BASED ON REVIEWS. Live and learn. Reviewers - please please don't just throw around adjectives with no reference to what's actually in the book that justifies it.
People read reviews because titles don't usually give a fair enough idea of the info they are looking for. They want a book that will give them certain information, [except fiction] and they rely on YOU to give some clue of what they will find, so they won't have to buy 20 books to get 1 that deals with the subject they wanted. "Wonderful" "Indispensable" give NO information about the kind of info in the book.

great book
Great book for the film music enthusiast, and those wanting to get into the biz. DesJardins interviews many composers, some up-and-coming, and those often neglected in other interview books. I love reading it and highly recommend it!

very helpful
I bought this for my husband who is a middle school band director.He is using this as one source for teaching a class about moviemusic.He loves the book and has found it very informative and helpful.

An amazing, "must have" new book on the art of film composing
"Inside Film Music: Composers Speak" is an insightful and indispensable new book documenting the art and craft of film composing.Christian DesJardin knows how to ask the right questions in order to uncover new and in depth information from a fantastic selection of the best in the business.One aspect, among many, that sets this book apart from other interview books, is the wonderful cross section of talent of composers, orchestrators, contractors, and directors -- all of whose interviews come together to paint a vivid picture of the current state of the art form.This is a "must have" book for any film music or movie fan, composer, or member of the movie or music industries alike. ... Read more