It’s All About HYMN: Essays on Reclaiming Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship

278 Pages·2008·2.732 MB·English

by  Donn LeVie Jr.

More praise for It’s All About HYMN: Essays on Reclaiming
Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship
“As the so-called ‘worship-wars’ continue to ravish the church of
Christ, some have stepped up to offer wise, biblical insight. Donn
LeVie Jr. is one of these. In It's All About HYMN, Donn provides
well-informed, scripturally based criteria by which to select and use
music appropriate for worship of our holy God. All who are
serious about corporate worship will greatly benefit from a careful
study of this thought-provoking book.”
Dr. Gary Gilley
Pastor, Southern View Chapel
Author of This Little Church Went to Market; This Little Church Stayed Home;
Is That You, Lord?: Hearing the Voice of the Lord, A Biblical Perspective; I Just
Wanted More Land – Jabez
“Donn LeVie Jr. has provided biblically based, balanced, and sound
arguments for the use in modern worship of sacred music in
traditional forms. He points out that we often ask the wrong
questions about our worship music: ‘Do we like it?’ ‘Is it popular?’
‘Will it attract crowds?’ rather than ‘Does it fit with scriptural
principles of worship?’ ‘Does it help us grow in the faith?’ ‘Who is
being honored by and through our music?’ LeVie clearly points out
that worship and its music is not a matter of our personal likes and
dislikes or of the commercial success of the music, but of obedience
to the principles laid out in the Bible. This book should be read by
all leaders of Christian worship—and by members of their
congregations as well.”
Dr. David W. Music
Professor of Church Music, Baylor University
Author of Christian Hymnody in Twentieth-Century Britain and America: An
Annotated Bibliography; Oliver Holden (1765 – 1844): Selected Works;
Hymnology; Instruments in Church; A Survey of Christian Hymnody; Christmas
Sinfonias: Piano/Organ Book
“For the last couple of decades or so many churches from almost all
the Western traditions have been tempted to adopt the empire’s
assumption that music is for selling. They have used it as a tool to
market their version of Christianity and to attract customers.
Groups not so enamored by musical instruments, like the Eastern
Orthodox, have maintained more ballast. Now, voices from the
Western traditions are finding courage to raise questions in search
of their own integrity and ballast. It’s All About HYMN: Essays on
Reclaiming Sacred and Traditional Music for Worship is a thoughtful
one, though – as would be expected – it will not evoke unanimity
either in all its historical and theological suppositions or in all its
conclusions. It will indicate, however, that church music is worthy
of serious conversation from various perspectives like this one, and
not a trivial marketing device or personal preference.”
Dr. Paul Westermeyer
Director, Master of Sacred Music, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN
Organist and Cantor, St. Olaf’s College, Northfield, MN
Board Member, National Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM)
Author of Te Deum: The Church and Music; The Church Musician; With
Tongues of Fire: Profiles in 20th-Century Hymn Writing; The Heart of the
Matter: Church Music as Praise, Prayer, Proclamation, Story, and Gift; Let the
People Sing: Hymn Tunes in Perspective
“Church music leaders in the 21st century face a unique challenge as
we respond to technology, paradigm shifts in society, relevance and
how best to preserve the church’s rich heritage of music and liturgy
for future generations. Donn LeVie Jr. offers articulate, insightful
and diverse essays framed from his varied experience as a church
musician of many years. It provokes concerns that all leaders in the
contemporary Christian church share. Let the dialogue continue!”
Dr. John Marsh
Vice-Chair, National Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM) Board
Dir. of Music Ministries, Christ the King Lutheran Church Norcross, GA
“Through the varied chapters of this collection runs an admirable
commitment to the importance of congregational song in the
formation and expression of Christian faith and practice. The
warnings to worship planners and musicians concerning the trap of
choosing music merely by personal preference (regardless of
whether it is classical or rock or anything else) are especially worth
attention.”
Dr. Carl P. Daw, Jr.
Executive Director, The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada
“. . . It is refreshing to find a book in which the author has
succeeded in making a non-confrontational appeal to reasoned
consideration of the matter of worship and how we ought to choose
the music we use for worship if we are to be consistent with the
biblical directives we find in Holy Scripture. . . This is a book that
would serve well as a manual for a discussion group whose
purpose is to explore the use music in worship and how one should
go about determining what music is appropriate for use in worship
for the 21st century church. One of the strengths of It’s All About
HYMN that makes it an excellent resource for group study is that
Donn LeVie Jr. poses many questions that can be used to stimulate
discussion.” (From the Afterword)
Dr. John Hamm
Former Music Department Chairman, Covenant College
Choral Director, Christ Presbyterian Church, Marietta, GA
Former Board Member, Church Music National Conference
With so many contemporary evangelical voices calling for
“redefining,” “rethinking,” “remaking,” and “repackaging”
Christian worship, now comes a new voice for reclaiming its sacred
and traditional precepts for worshipping God through sung prayer.
Praised by some of the world’s leading authorities in the church
music field, It’s All About HYMN: Essays on Reclaiming Sacred and
Traditional Music for Worship opens up new doors to dialogue, sheds
light on factors that influence the Western Christian worship
model, and challenges all Christians to reassess how they approach
the act of worship.
Kings Crown Publishing
I ’ A A HYMN
T S LL BOUT

E R S
SSAYS ON ECLAIMING ACRED
T M
AND RADITIONAL USIC FOR
W
ORSHIP
IT’S ALL ABOUT HYMN: ESSAYS ON RECLAIMING SACRED AND
TRADITIONAL MUSIC FOR WORSHIP
Copyright © 2008 by Donn LeVie Jr.
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an
information storage and retrieval system – with the exception of a reviewer
who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper or
magazine or posted on a website – without written permission from the
publisher. For information, send email to [email protected].
This book includes information from many sources and gathered from many
personal experiences. The publisher and author disclaim any personal liability,
directly or indirectly, for advice or information presented within. Although the
author and publisher have prepared this manuscript with utmost care and
diligence and have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness
of the information contained within, we assume no responsibility for errors,
inaccuracies, omissions or inconsistencies.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
LeVie Jr. Donn, 1951 -
It’s all about hymn: essays on reclaiming sacred and traditional music
for worship/Donn LeVie, Jr.
Includes bibliographical references
– 1st ed. First Printing (May 2008)

LCCN: 2008902193
ISBN-13: 978-0-9814857-0-6
ISBN-10: 0-9814857-0-7

QUANTITY DISCOUNTS ARE AVAILABLE TO YOUR HOUSE OF
WORSHIP, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION, OR RELIGIOUS
ORGANIZATION for reselling, educational purposes, subscription incentives,
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For more information, contact the publisher at
Kings Crown Publishing: [email protected]
Cover art: “Angel with Lute” by Melozzo da Forti (1438 – 1494)
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
I ’ A A
T S LL BOUT
HYMN:

E
SSAYS ON
R S
ECLAIMING ACRED AND
T M
RADITIONAL USIC
W
FOR ORSHIP

D L V J .
ONN E IE R
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Every book project requires the contributions of time, effort,
expertise, and inspiration from many individuals. Some have
provided valuable input directly, while others have served in
more anonymous capacities through the work they do, such as
the great folks at KMFA classical radio in Austin, Texas who
host such programs as “Classical Guitar Alive,” “Choral
Classics,” “Pipe Works,” and “Ancient Voices.”
Heartfelt thanks go to my friend and editor, Dick Carozza.
Besides being a top-notch wordsmith, Dick serves his church as
a deacon and choir member, and in so doing also brings a
reinforcing perspective to this project.
I am grateful to those individuals and organizations who
granted permission to quote content; if I omitted any reference
or permission request, I will rectify any such instances at the my
website (www.donnleviejr.com).
I owe an immense debt of gratitude to the many church
musicians, church music directors, worship leaders,
congregations, and church music experts who have shared their
thoughts, questions, feelings, ideas, and encouragement that
helped keep this important project moving forward. The
detailed comments and insight from Dr. Paul Westermeyer, Dr.
Calvin Johansson, and Dr. Carl Daw proved invaluable for this
effort. I have truly stood on the shoulders of giants to offer this
perspective.
And finally, to my wife Jeanette who graciously and
patiently allowed me to barricade myself in my upstairs office to
work on this manuscript and hibernate in my music studio to
work on the companion CD to this book. You are the best.
All the stories in this book are true, though in some I
changed names (or didn’t use any) to protect confidentiality.
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations are from the King
James Version.
CONTENTS

Preface /i
Introduction /v

Essay Chapter 1:
The Congregation is the Praise Band
1
Essay Chapter 2:
The Worship Music Debate Through the Ages
7
Essay Chapter 3:
Contemporary Christian Music, Praise and Worship Music,
Christian Pop Music: What Are We Really Talking About?
23
Essay Chapter 4:
Assumptions, Fallacies, Reason, and Groupthink in the Worship
Music Debate
39
Essay Chapter 5:
Why Personal Preference Can Not Be An Option for Selecting
Music for Worship
51