
Cliff Ganus
A Short History of Congregational Singing
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What was singing like in the early church and what role did it play in the Christian's life? What role does it play today?
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How did the church change dramatically in the fourth century?
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How did the Reformers deal with church singing?
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What were some contributions by important authors and composers of congregational songs?
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How has music both united and divided Christian fellowships?

This book is about songs which were intended for congregations rather than choirs or trained musicians. It is not a collection of hymn stories. Instead, it describes the settings behind those stories.
I have tracked important events and ideas in the church’s history in order to provide a sense of the environment that produced its songs. In several cases I have paired hymns with contemporaneous tunes that the authors might have known, in order to put the words into a more authentic context and, perhaps, give them a fresh hearing to our ears today.
Cliff Ganus
paperback
2021
190 pp.
$15