| The place, importance, and purpose of Christian church music has been discussed since it was first introduced. It is not surprising that there has rarely been a common answer to its problems, either among denominations, communities, or even single congregations. The point in history when such discussion becomes a matter of general interest coincides with the emergence of the Protestant idea, for it is the decisions of the new thinkers that first show a divergence from the generally practiced rules that prevailed under an apparently universal catholicism. |
| As various Protestant attitudes were formed, the divergences of practice became more apparent. It is with the written evidence of such differences that this anthology is concerned. It is made up of a selection of letters, essays, sermons, memoirs, dedications, prefaces, and other documents, in complete or excerpted form, that shows some of the prevailing attitudes toward church music in each of the four past centuries, and in our own as well. The material is taken from the writings of musicians, critics, historians, clergymen, and the lay public, thus reflecting a wide range of reactions to the musical scene as it touches upon the church. The reactions of these writers will be seen to vary in many ways, depending on their religious bias, their musical knowledge, and the social conditions at the time in which their material was written. |
| The comments of Protestant writers form the greatest amount of the material, and this is inevitable for two reasons: 1) Protestants, being relatively untouched by long-standing traditions, have often felt impelled to justify or improve their religious practices and, fortunately, they have given rather detailed descriptions of their efforts, and of Catholic practices as well; 2) Catholics have rarely felt it necessary to give elaborate descriptions of what they felt was right and normal, and, likewise, they rarely displayed any interest in the alien activities of Protestants, |
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