Sacred Sounds

Catalog description

A study of the origins and development of Christian song. The first section of the course deals with the nature of the psalms and their use in the worship of different traditions. The second section of the course will be a survey of congregational hymnody – texts, tunes, styles and functions – from the 16th century to the present. The course aims to develop a context for the discussion congregational song as it might be practiced in the 21st century, the final part of the class.