Nearly all religious traditions have reserved a special place for sacred music. Whether it is music accompanying a ritual or purely for devotional purposes, music composed for entire congregations or for the trained soloist, or music set to holy words or purely instrumental, in some form or another, music is present. In fact, in some traditions the relation between the music and the ritual is so intimate that to distinguish between them would be inaccurate. The A to Z of Sacred Music covers the most important aspects of the sacred music of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and other smaller religious groups. It provides useful information on all the significant traditions of this music through the use of a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, appendixes, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on major types of music, composers, key religious figures, specialized positions, genres of composition, technical terms, instruments, fundamental documents and sources, significant places, and important musical compositions.

(Foreword by Cliff Barrows) More inspiring stories behind the hymns of past and contemporary favorites.

Sankey'S Story of the Gospel Hymns and of Sacred Songs and Solos by Ira David Sankey, first published in 1906, is a rare manuscript, the original residing in one of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, which has been scanned and cleaned by state-of-the-art publishing tools for better readability and enhanced appreciation. Restoration Editors' mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life. Some smudges, annotations or unclear text may still exist, due to permanent damage to the original work. We believe the literary significance of the text justifies offering this reproduction, allowing a new generation to appreciate it.

Realizing the need of new hymns and sacred songs in the meetings conducted by Messrs. Moody, Whittle and others, we have compiled this volume under the title of "Gospel Hymns, No. 2." It will be found to contain a large number of new gospel songs, never before published, together with many of the most useful and popular hymns of the day, both new and old. Gratefully recognizing the fact, that in these "times of refreshing," the blessing of God has accompanied the singing of His truth, we are encouraged to send forth this additional volume of "Gospel Hymns," with the prayer that they may be blessed to all who sing them, and that through this instrumentality, many may be led to "The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," and by and by be permitted to join a nobler and better song, "The Song of Moses and the Lamb." - Preface.

First published in 1989, The Singing Bourgeois challenges the myth that the 'Victorian parlour song' was a clear-cut genre. Derek Scott reveals the huge diversity of musical forms and styles that influenced the songs performed in middle class homes during the nineteenth century, from the assimilation of Celtic and Afro-American culture by songwriters, to the emergence of forms of sacred song performed in the home. The popularity of these domestic songs opened up opportunities to women composers, and a chapter of the book is dedicated to the discussion of women songwriters and their work. The commercial success of bourgeois song through the sale of sheet music demonstrated how music might be incorporated into a system of capitalist enterprise. Scott examines the early amateur music market and its evolution into an increasingly professionalized activity towards the end of the century. This new updated edition features an additional chapter which provides a broad survey of music and class in London, drawing on sources that have appeared since the book's first publication. An overview of recent research is also given in a section of additional notes. The new bibliography of nineteenth-century British and American popular song is the most comprehensive of its kind and includes information on twentieth-century collections of songs, relevant periodicals, catalogues, dictionaries and indexes, as well as useful databases and internet sites. The book also features an accompanying CD of songs from the period.

This Encyclopedia is the definitive reference to the history and beliefs that continue to exert a profound influence on Western thought.

Safe in the Arms of Jesus is the tale of a girl who, while blinded from infancy, was blessed with creativity, composition skills and a natural ear for rhythm. She used her gifts to bring God glory ─ writing as many as 12,000 poems and hymns in her lifetime.

In Sacred Song in America, Stephen A. Marini explores the full range of American sacred music and demonstrates how an understanding of the meanings and functions of this musical expression can contribute to a greater understanding of religious culture.Marini examines the role of sacred song across the United States, from the musical traditions of Native Americans and the Hispanic peoples of the Southwest, to the Sacred Harp singers of the rural South and the Jewish music revival to the music of the Mormon, Catholic, and Black churches. Including chapters on New Age and Neo-Pagan music, gospel music, and hymnals as well as interviews with iconic composers of religious music, Sacred Song in America pursues a historical, musicological, and theoretical inquiry into the complex roles of ritual music in the public religious culture of contemporary America.