The Heart of Our Music: Underpinning Our Thinking

In The Heart of Our Music, master practitioners of the art of liturgical music come together to offer enriching insights, a stirring vision, and practical new ideas that will change the way you think about liturgy and liturgical ministry. These reflections are written with the needs of parish liturgists and liturgical musicians in mind. This volume includes reflections on the role of composition, the role of music, the kind of language we use, the missionary dimension of our texts and music, whether esthetic beauty is the only quality needed, and how we think about and name God in the songs we sing. Contributors and their articles include: A Sacrifice of Praise: Musical Composition as Kenosis by Alan J. Hommerding; 'The Word Is Near You, in Your Mouth and in Your Heart': Music as Servant of the Word by Bob Hurd; The Songs We Sing: The Two Languages of Worship by Tony Barr; Moving to Metamelos: A New Heart, a New Church, a New Song by Rory Cooney; Beauty and Suitability in Music in the Liturgy by Paul Inwood; and From 'God Beyond All Names' to 'O Agape': Images of God in Liturgical Music by Jan Michael Joncas.