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| Singing And Making Music: Issues in Church Music Today | 
 enlarge | Author: Paul S. Jones
Creator: Eric J. Alexander
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $9.75
You Save: $7.24 (43%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 90745
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 315
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0875526179
Dewey Decimal Number: 264.2
EAN: 9780875526171
ASIN: 0875526179
Publication Date: April 28, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Interesting resource, though sometimes lacking in accuracy October 22, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mr. Jones' book is, in his own words, a collection of short essays, organized into 4 categories: Corporate Worship, Hymnody and Psalmody, Issues and lastly Composers and Composition. "Theologically astute, musically adept, constructively provocative" is written on the cover page.
(1) Theologically astute
I agree with this statement: I like the parts where he examines Scripture to find out how music in church should really be. He is at his best in chapters like "A biblical case for instruments in worship" or "Song in the bible" and others. He gives a thorough examination of the relevant Bible passages which makes those chapters a worthwhile read.
(2) Musically adept
I do not doubt that Mr. Jones has ample training and experience in church music. However, he misses the opportunity to provide examples of best practice in his book when he recommends and displays some recent hymns, set as sheet music with complete voicings. On a cursory examination of just his first example (p.16) I noticed several instances of weak style, which my teacher in voice leading and counterpoint would have pointed out as flaws.
(3) Constructively provocative
Since the second half of the last century it has been the church musicians, rather than the clergy, who have opposed the introduction of modern (maybe "secular") music in church services. Mr. Jones is no exception. He sets the tone right from the preface, where he introduces in a quote the distinction between "higher levels" and "lower levels" of art, the latter being "closely linked to a man's emotions".
The attribute "provocative" applies especially to his chapter "Luther and bar song - the truth please!" which offers only the small part of the truth that supports his argument. For example, he isolates a quote from Albert Schweitzer to prove his point (bar song is not suitable for worship), whereas in the original context the whole chapter ("The origins of hymn melodies") argues in the opposite direction, i. e. that most hymn melodies have immigrated from some context outside the church, giving several examples of German hymns derived from secular love songs, a soldier's song and a table song.
Mr. Jones argues in favour of preserving the ancient hymns in modern day worship. He acknowledges that these require more thought and are generally more difficult to apprehend than modern choruses, but recommends that the church should provide musical education to all of its members to overcome this obstacle and to develop a taste for the "higher levels of art".
He seems to be very interested in German protestantism (especially Lutherans) as an example. Being a German Lutheran, I have no reason to object, but there are some minor misconceptions in his text. For example, we do not call our hymnals "prayer book". A common hymnal for the complete German protestant church was first created after WWII, and as far as I know this book and its origins / predecessors have always been called "song book" (Gesangbuch), although it does contain some prayers in the appendix.
I agree with Mr. Jones that more work should be done on the theology of music. In German protestantism, we have one major book on the subject (Oskar Soehngen, Theologie der Musik, 1967) which is largely unknown.
I recommend his book especially for those parts concerned with biblical findings on music. His judgement of musical styles and the "lower levels of art" is too general in my opinion. I would recommend "Praying Twice" by Brian A. Wren (Praying Twice: The Music and Words of Congregational Song) for a more comprehensive and balanced view of worship styles.
One last note: Mr. Jones strongly recommends that every church musician should obtain a copy of John Julian's dictionary of hymnology (Dictionary of Hymnology: Origin and History of Christian Hymns and Hymnwriters of All Age and Nations (2 Volume Set)) which is out of print and also out of date. When I at last managed to obtain a copy through a state library, I found that the hymn I wanted to look up was too new (1920) to be in there; the dictionary was compiled 1898. Anyone interested in compiling a newer dictionary...?
 Constructively Provocative June 9, 2006
36 out of 37 found this review helpful
Paul Jones, organist and Music Director at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia is, by all accounts, a very talented individual. He was privileged to serve alongside James Boice (who once said "Paul is everything I ever prayed for in a music director") and now works closely with Philip Ryken in serving one of America's foremost Presbyterian churches. Singing and Making Music, subtitled "Issues in Church Music Today" is Jones' attempt to distill and share some of his years of accumulated wisdom and knowledge.
Singing and Making Music is not a traditional book, emphasizing an argument that moves logically from introduction to conclusion, but is a collection of essays dealing with the common theme of worshipping God through music. To some extent this leaves the book feeling a little bit disjointed and without a consistent flow. At the same time, this format allows the author to cover a wide range of topics without having to bridge one to another. I feel that this is a suitable format for such a book book. Jones covers a great deal of ground through the book's thirty-three chapters which are grouped under four headings: Corporate Worship, Hymnody and Psalmody, Issues and Composers and Composition. Here is a selection of chapter titles:
* Sermon in Song: Sacred Music as Proclamation
* Sacred Music as Prayer
* Authenticity in Corporate Worship Music
* Trinitarian Hymnody
* What Psalm Ascriptions Tell Us
* Writing Hymns
* Choir for Hire: Should Church Musicians Be Paid?
* Luther and Bar Song: The Truth, Please!
* Musical Ignorance versus Music Arrogance
* J.S. Bach and Musical Hermeneutics
* The Anatomy of a Hymn Tune
* Criteria for Good Church Music
While any Christian could benefit from reading this book, the target audience is clearly intended to be other music directors or worship leaders. With my limited knowledge of musical theory, I was occasionally unable to follow or understand the author's arguments. This was particularly true of the chapters which discussed topics which are far more theoretical than practical to me, such as "The Anatomy of a Hymn Tune," a chapter in which we read the following: "Such intervallic relationships between voices other than the melodic one (i.e., the altor, tenor, and bass) have to do with harmonic choices. The harmony throughout the hymn tune is functional, yet colorful, with numerous intentional dissonances." For all I know, he may have just insulted my country or provided a recipe for chocolate brownies (though I suspect not).
Thankfully, the majority of the book is perfectly accessible to a person like myself who loves music, but knows very little about it. Jones is always gracious but always biblical when dealing with some of the more contentious issues facing churches struggling with the subjects of worship and music. He argues that Christians ought to avoid the world's musical trends and to develop music that is distinct. The book's main points can be summarized under the three following headings. First, worship practices must be measured by the Word of God. "Scriptural principles should inform all our thinking, traditions, and practices in worship." Second, we need to comprehend the pastoral nature of music ministry. "Music is not in competition with pastoral work. It is pastoral work in the sense that it can provide many of the same kinds of spiritual care and leadership that pastoral ministry provides." Third, we should ensure that budgets and practices are informed by these truths. "Music in worship cannot be truly conformed to biblical standards and examples of excellence unless it is actively supported by the church leadership in word and deed and is adequately funded." You can see a logical progression from theory to practice. A church should move from asking "Why do we do what we do in the way that we do it? How should we be doing it according to Scripture? What will it take to make it so?"
While Jones serves in a large church and surely enjoys a large budget, he is sensitive to those who serve in smaller churches and may have only a limited number of resources, both financial and human, to dedicate to music. He provides suggestions on the first instruments a church should purchase and the type of music director a church should eventually seek. He suggests when a church should seek to hire a music director and what type of responsibilities he should enjoy. There is even a chapter providing instruction on purchasing an organ.
Always practical and biblical, Singing and Making Music was an enjoyable read and one that is suitable for both the laity and those in leadership. Ligon Duncan, in his endorsement for this book, described it with the phrase "constructively provocative." I believe that is an apt description. This book is deeply biblical, uplifting and constructively provocative. It is well worth reading.
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