BookTalk – “The Gospel Preached through Music: The Purpose and Practice of Lutheran Church Music” (pt.1)

Central to this book about church music is the premise that music itself is never neutral, that music always carries meaning—an idea that has been denied in certain quarters of the church for at least the past three decades. Prompted by the ongoing debates on worship and music and by the attitude that Lutheran church musicians must think more carefully about the purpose of music in worship, Daniel Zager suggests that we can learn much on this topic from Martin Luther and from the work of Lutheran cantors active during the first three centuries of Lutheranism.

This book aims to encourage a widespread recovery of and recommitment to the amazing potential of Lutheran church music, for, as Luther said, “God has preached the Gospel through music too.”

Daniel Zager, BMus, MA, PhD, is a musicologist and Lutheran church musician. He has served as organist and director of music for several Lutheran congregations; was a member of the Hymnody Committee for Lutheran Service Book; and has served as editor of CrossAccent: Journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and of the Journal of the Good Shepherd Institute. He is Associate Dean and Head of the Sibley Music Library at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, New York), where he also teaches courses related to sacred music in both the musicology department and the sacred music diploma program.