Here is my final note post from David Crowder’s Fantastical Church Music Conference in Waco, TX, last week. This is from a break-out session with David Taylor entitled, “Singing the Ever-Renewing But Not Necessarily Straightforward New Song.” David is a PhD candidate at Duke and the author of For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts.
“It may indeed be said that the purpose of the Psalms is to turn the soul into a sort of burning bush.” – Stanley Jaki, Praying the Psalms
“I Know the Lord’s My Shepherd” – contemporary rendering of Psalm 23 to the tune of “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” – unfitting
What does it mean to ‘be fitting’ with the text, music, congregational singing and setting
How do we think about the “fittingness” of new songs for congregational worship?
Three distinct meanings in the Psalter for the phrase “new song” with examples from current song writers
Criteria for selection of ‘new songs’ that are fitting:
- Could my home church do this song?
- Could the average person sing this (they might need to be taught it)?
Phrase “new song” found in the Psalter:Read More »
Renovate 