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O Sing Unto the Lord: A History of English Church Music
Andrew Gant's compelling account traces English church music from Anglo-Saxon origins to the present. It is a history of the music and of the people who made, sang and listened to it. It shows the role church music has played in ordinary lives and how it reflects those lives back to us. The author considers why church music remains so popular and frequently tops the classical charts and why the BBC's Choral Evensong remains the longest-running radio series ever. He shows how England's church music follows the contours of its history and is the soundtrack of its changing politics and culture, from the mysteries of the Mass to the elegant decorum of the Restoration anthem, from stern Puritanism to Victorian bombast, and thence to the fractured worlds of the twentieth century as heard in the music of Vaughan Williams and Britten. This is a book for everyone interested in the history of English music, culture and society.
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First published September 24, 2015
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About the author
Andrew Gant
15 books5 followersAndrew Gant (1963-) is a composer, choirmaster, church musician, university teacher and writer. He has directed many leading choirs including The Guards' Chapel, Worcester College Oxford, and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal. He lectures in Music at St Peter's College in Oxford, where he lives with his wife and their three children. His books for Profile are Christmas Carols and Sing Unto the Lord.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 26, 2017
This book is an elegantly written history of English religious music from the early Middle Ages up to the present day. The pace is just slow enough to give the reader a flavor of the music of each period along with its historical context without ever getting bogged down in the least. Major composers are given enough emphasis to give the reader insight into what the composer was like as a person and about the composer's music itself. There is a wealth of information in the ca. 370 pages of text plus a discography to lead one to recordings of the music discussed. Highly recommended for anyone interested in English music in its historical development.
August 15, 2023
very compelling and detailed but managed to go 370 pages without mentioning a single woman???
October 3, 2019
This book was a look at the sort of history that I must admit that I am not very familiar with, the history of the music of the English church. To be sure, there are some composers of English church music that even someone not very familiar with the tradition would well understand--Watts, Handel, and Percell among the most obvious names. Still, in reading this book I must admit that I was a bit disappointed by one aspect of it, namely the fact that so much attention was spent looking at the Anglican church and its ups and downs when it comes to church music, rather than looking at the music that was popular outside of the high church tradition in the revivals. Strikingly, the hymn music of Cowper and Newton is completely neglected in this volume, even though it gets very detailed about certain aspects of the English music tradition. And while it mentions the popularity of hymn singing among the Welsh, the book sadly has little to say about their hymns either, and even less to say about American hymns relating to the English church traditions that spread in North America.
This book is about 400 pages long and is divided into fourteen sizable chapters. The author begins with a preface to the American edition which fails to note how this book is not really aimed at Americans. After that the author talks about the beginnings of English church music in the Middle Ages (1) and then in the late Middle Ages (2) as well as the fifteen century (3). After that the author talks about the difficulties English composers had in dealing with the frequent religious changes of the middle of the 16th century (4) before looking at the changes that resulted from reformation and counter-reformation (5) and the church music and its influence on society during the reign of Queen Elizabeth (6). The author talks about the influence of politics on the church music of the early Stuart period (7), the absence of high church music during the period of Cromwell's rule (8), and the music of the restoration period (9) that followed. After that the chapters follow quickly, with a chapter looking at the music during the enlightenment period (10) where religion was no longer popular among the elites, the music of the Methodists as well as imitators of Mendelssohn (11), and the period of renewal during Victorian England (12). Finally, the book closes with chapters about the composers of Victorian England and the 20th century (13) as well as the splintering of the Anglican tradition in the contemporary period (14), after which there is an epilogue, notes, suggestions for further investigation, acknowledgments, illustration credits, and an index.
While this book is certainly not a waste of time, it was clearly written by someone who thinks that English elite tradition is the most important aspect of English culture. I would happen to disagree with that--and would tend to find the frequently corrupt aspects of Anglican church culture to blame for the lack of consistency when it comes to music. When so much attention is spent to elites looking for comfortable positions and when church leaders have so little integrity as teachers and exemplars of the faith, how are ordinary musicians and singers supposed to be well-provided for? England has long had a sharp divide between city and country culture when it comes to religious culture, and this book certainly highlights those divides, focusing of course on the cities where one had more paid musicians and where the prestigious composers tended to live, which is why the hymns from the country are forgotten here. And that is a great shame, as this book could have done a lot more more to shine the light on the more obscure English church tradition but chooses to spend its time in court because the author is more comfortable there.
This book is about 400 pages long and is divided into fourteen sizable chapters. The author begins with a preface to the American edition which fails to note how this book is not really aimed at Americans. After that the author talks about the beginnings of English church music in the Middle Ages (1) and then in the late Middle Ages (2) as well as the fifteen century (3). After that the author talks about the difficulties English composers had in dealing with the frequent religious changes of the middle of the 16th century (4) before looking at the changes that resulted from reformation and counter-reformation (5) and the church music and its influence on society during the reign of Queen Elizabeth (6). The author talks about the influence of politics on the church music of the early Stuart period (7), the absence of high church music during the period of Cromwell's rule (8), and the music of the restoration period (9) that followed. After that the chapters follow quickly, with a chapter looking at the music during the enlightenment period (10) where religion was no longer popular among the elites, the music of the Methodists as well as imitators of Mendelssohn (11), and the period of renewal during Victorian England (12). Finally, the book closes with chapters about the composers of Victorian England and the 20th century (13) as well as the splintering of the Anglican tradition in the contemporary period (14), after which there is an epilogue, notes, suggestions for further investigation, acknowledgments, illustration credits, and an index.
While this book is certainly not a waste of time, it was clearly written by someone who thinks that English elite tradition is the most important aspect of English culture. I would happen to disagree with that--and would tend to find the frequently corrupt aspects of Anglican church culture to blame for the lack of consistency when it comes to music. When so much attention is spent to elites looking for comfortable positions and when church leaders have so little integrity as teachers and exemplars of the faith, how are ordinary musicians and singers supposed to be well-provided for? England has long had a sharp divide between city and country culture when it comes to religious culture, and this book certainly highlights those divides, focusing of course on the cities where one had more paid musicians and where the prestigious composers tended to live, which is why the hymns from the country are forgotten here. And that is a great shame, as this book could have done a lot more more to shine the light on the more obscure English church tradition but chooses to spend its time in court because the author is more comfortable there.
October 29, 2020
Extremely thorough, but unless you are an ancient music scholar...well, it did cure my Covid insomnia, let’s just say,
March 12, 2018
If you’re a fan of English church music, if you know the pieces and the people discussed then this book will be a joy. But it will take a long time to read. James Booth’s biography of Larkin had me constantly scurrying back to the collected poems. And it’s almost impossible to read ‘O Sing unto the Lord’ without stopping on almost every page to trawl your CD shelves or do a quick YouTube search. If Gant says (of the music of William Lloyd Webber among others) that it ‘compressed the sound-world of the Palm Court orchestra and the romantic symphony into well-crafted music for choir and organ, like tinned Gounod’ you just have to hear it with your own ears!
And If a survey of two thousand years of church music proves anything, it’s that there is nothing new under the sun. Certainly, disputes about music go back several centuries. The poor monks of Glastonbury found themselves quite literally on the sharp end of their Abbot’s sword, when they proved less than enthusiastic about Thurston’s new continental musical practices. And if you think discordant harmonies are modern, or practices like improvisation innovative, think again. Jamming (they may not have called it that) goes back almost a millennium. As Gant says, get someone to sing a song with another improvising a harmony line above and someone improvising a bass line below and ‘they will be doing something their medieval forebears did every day... your choir will be doing something if didn’t know it had forgotten how to do.’ (p42). The book is full of such rich details.
Gant also has a vividly memorable and pithy way of summing up the broader historical picture. The English Reformation was ‘an insurrection by the government against its own people, a war… with the added complication that the government kept changing sides.’ Musically this was the time when ‘English church music hit puberty. Before this, you didn’t have to think about whether you accepted the Pope, or if the Virgin Mary answered your prayers: Mum and Dad were always right. Afterwards, there was a period of experimentation, and a series of associations with with partners of wildly varying character, none of which - perhaps fortunately - lasted very long.’
Sometimes you actually seem to get a better sense of history and a deeper understanding of an era from such small details, approached here from a very specific direction. Gant quotes the only eyewitness account of the dissolution written from the monastic side of the fence. A monk present when Henry's commissioners arrived a Evesham Abbey recalls that in the 'yere of our Lorde 1536 the monastery of Evesham was suppressed... At evesnonge tyme... at this verse 'Deposuet potentes' and would not suffer them to make an ende.' Deposuet potentes being the Latin phrase 'He hath put down the mighty from their seat' from the Magnificat. In other words the troops waited until the very moment in the service when the words being sung were most significant - and pounced!
At other times Gant (a distinguished church musician himself) memorably sums up a situation that would in other hands require an entire dissertation. ‘Church music,’ he writes (p312) ‘has always had a place for those who are good at sucking up to the clergy and the pen-pusher, and has shown itself concomitantly intolerant of those who find such arts undignified.’ Enough said.
That particular mot juste was inspired by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (grandson on the hymn-machine, Charles) - that slightly loveable but decidedly odd composer almost of the ‘he’s-so-bad-he’s-good’ variety. Explaining Wesley’s appeal to the English (while Europe was enjoying Wagner) ‘is like trying to explain cricket to the French,’ says Gant. ‘But it’s worth it... English church music needed Samuel Sebastian Wesley. Though, perhaps to our relief, we will not see his like again.’ (316).
English church music is a rich and varied subject. Covering it comprehensively could have been a dull but worthy undertaking. In Gant’s hands it is anything but.
And If a survey of two thousand years of church music proves anything, it’s that there is nothing new under the sun. Certainly, disputes about music go back several centuries. The poor monks of Glastonbury found themselves quite literally on the sharp end of their Abbot’s sword, when they proved less than enthusiastic about Thurston’s new continental musical practices. And if you think discordant harmonies are modern, or practices like improvisation innovative, think again. Jamming (they may not have called it that) goes back almost a millennium. As Gant says, get someone to sing a song with another improvising a harmony line above and someone improvising a bass line below and ‘they will be doing something their medieval forebears did every day... your choir will be doing something if didn’t know it had forgotten how to do.’ (p42). The book is full of such rich details.
Gant also has a vividly memorable and pithy way of summing up the broader historical picture. The English Reformation was ‘an insurrection by the government against its own people, a war… with the added complication that the government kept changing sides.’ Musically this was the time when ‘English church music hit puberty. Before this, you didn’t have to think about whether you accepted the Pope, or if the Virgin Mary answered your prayers: Mum and Dad were always right. Afterwards, there was a period of experimentation, and a series of associations with with partners of wildly varying character, none of which - perhaps fortunately - lasted very long.’
Sometimes you actually seem to get a better sense of history and a deeper understanding of an era from such small details, approached here from a very specific direction. Gant quotes the only eyewitness account of the dissolution written from the monastic side of the fence. A monk present when Henry's commissioners arrived a Evesham Abbey recalls that in the 'yere of our Lorde 1536 the monastery of Evesham was suppressed... At evesnonge tyme... at this verse 'Deposuet potentes' and would not suffer them to make an ende.' Deposuet potentes being the Latin phrase 'He hath put down the mighty from their seat' from the Magnificat. In other words the troops waited until the very moment in the service when the words being sung were most significant - and pounced!
At other times Gant (a distinguished church musician himself) memorably sums up a situation that would in other hands require an entire dissertation. ‘Church music,’ he writes (p312) ‘has always had a place for those who are good at sucking up to the clergy and the pen-pusher, and has shown itself concomitantly intolerant of those who find such arts undignified.’ Enough said.
That particular mot juste was inspired by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (grandson on the hymn-machine, Charles) - that slightly loveable but decidedly odd composer almost of the ‘he’s-so-bad-he’s-good’ variety. Explaining Wesley’s appeal to the English (while Europe was enjoying Wagner) ‘is like trying to explain cricket to the French,’ says Gant. ‘But it’s worth it... English church music needed Samuel Sebastian Wesley. Though, perhaps to our relief, we will not see his like again.’ (316).
English church music is a rich and varied subject. Covering it comprehensively could have been a dull but worthy undertaking. In Gant’s hands it is anything but.
January 15, 2025
This is one for the music history fans, and/or those with an interest in church music. This definitely includes me - I've sung in choirs since I was about 10 and this kind of music is amongst my favourite listening. Andrew Gant does a brilliant job of digging into English church music throughout history, though almost inevitably the biggest focus is from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries.
This might seem a very dry subject, but Gant brings it alive, helped by his even drier sense of humour. This is obviously a matter of taste, but if you find amusing his remark on Prince Albert's compositions 'He certainly did not possess a strong enough musical personality to overcome the prevailing tendency to write bad Mendelssohn, but he did it quite well. His Te Deum and Jubilate contain some quite good bad Mendelssohn,' you will enjoy it as I did.
Inevitably the Reformation and subsequent switches of England between protestant and Catholic features heavily with its fascinating impact on composers and their work - particularly complex during Elizabeth's reign, when a staunchly Catholic composer like Byrd was able to keep his balance (and his head) by being considered a sufficiently impressive musician that he was allowed to get away with much that might have end the career or life of another. The basics of that were familiar to me, but a lot of the period through to the Victorians was new. Music we would consider everyday now like hymns and their tunes (which Gant points out even turn up as football chants) really only started to come together towards the end of the eighteenth century (and weren't technically legal for use in Church of England services until 1820), while Anglican chant, familiar to any choral evensong fan was primarily a nineteenth century innovation - along, of course, with much of the Christmas repertoire.
The twentieth century and beyond gets rather summary treatment. In part I think this is fair. As Gant points out it was a time of splintering. Where almost all earlier periods had specific styles and approaches, most twentieth century church composers very much did their own thing. I think Gant could have put a bit more into analysis of the development of worship songs (rather outside his comfort zone, I suspect, though he says some positive, or at least fair things).
A couple of small negatives. The book is a bit too long. While prepared to mention quite a few unfamiliar names from, say, the Tudorbethan period, it sticks to the well-known in Victorian and Edwardian times, ignoring those who were very popular then but have pretty much disappeared. For example, I was disappointed not get a mention of Caleb Simper whose sheet music sold incredibly well (over 5 million copies) and was a staple of many country and colonial churches. The illustrations are also irritating - they were clearly designed for plates, so are bunched together in two lumps, but are just printed on ordinary pages, so could have been placed near the text they illustrate to much greater effect.
I realise that the readership of a book like this is relatively limited. But if, like me, this kind of music plays an important part in your life, then it is an absolute must to own.
This might seem a very dry subject, but Gant brings it alive, helped by his even drier sense of humour. This is obviously a matter of taste, but if you find amusing his remark on Prince Albert's compositions 'He certainly did not possess a strong enough musical personality to overcome the prevailing tendency to write bad Mendelssohn, but he did it quite well. His Te Deum and Jubilate contain some quite good bad Mendelssohn,' you will enjoy it as I did.
Inevitably the Reformation and subsequent switches of England between protestant and Catholic features heavily with its fascinating impact on composers and their work - particularly complex during Elizabeth's reign, when a staunchly Catholic composer like Byrd was able to keep his balance (and his head) by being considered a sufficiently impressive musician that he was allowed to get away with much that might have end the career or life of another. The basics of that were familiar to me, but a lot of the period through to the Victorians was new. Music we would consider everyday now like hymns and their tunes (which Gant points out even turn up as football chants) really only started to come together towards the end of the eighteenth century (and weren't technically legal for use in Church of England services until 1820), while Anglican chant, familiar to any choral evensong fan was primarily a nineteenth century innovation - along, of course, with much of the Christmas repertoire.
The twentieth century and beyond gets rather summary treatment. In part I think this is fair. As Gant points out it was a time of splintering. Where almost all earlier periods had specific styles and approaches, most twentieth century church composers very much did their own thing. I think Gant could have put a bit more into analysis of the development of worship songs (rather outside his comfort zone, I suspect, though he says some positive, or at least fair things).
A couple of small negatives. The book is a bit too long. While prepared to mention quite a few unfamiliar names from, say, the Tudorbethan period, it sticks to the well-known in Victorian and Edwardian times, ignoring those who were very popular then but have pretty much disappeared. For example, I was disappointed not get a mention of Caleb Simper whose sheet music sold incredibly well (over 5 million copies) and was a staple of many country and colonial churches. The illustrations are also irritating - they were clearly designed for plates, so are bunched together in two lumps, but are just printed on ordinary pages, so could have been placed near the text they illustrate to much greater effect.
I realise that the readership of a book like this is relatively limited. But if, like me, this kind of music plays an important part in your life, then it is an absolute must to own.
February 2, 2025
I came across this book after having read a 2024 edited volume on the development of Lutheran hymnals by Robin Leaver entitled, A New Song We Now Begin: Celebrating the Half Millennium of Lutheran Hymnals 1524-2024 (Lutheran Quarterly Books) (ISBN: 978-1506487441), and before that a book on the history of Christian hymns by Paul Rorem entitled, Singing Church History: Introducing the Christian Story through Hymn Texts (ISBN: 978-1506496214). In the brief time I was in Lutheran seminary, I didn’t not have the opportunity to study hymnody, which I would have enjoyed from the church history perspective as history was my undergraduate focus and church history was something I excelled at in my seminary enrollment. I would have also enjoyed it from the fact that hymnody is so strongly associated with Lutheranism.
I am not a musician and so some of what the author discusses in the book in terms of the technicalities of music was a bit over my head. But from the standpoint of history, the development of music in the church, from being part of the liturgy to the eventual use of hymnody as an expression to support liturgy and theology, not to mention the changing roles of who did what (i.e., in terms of singing) was utterly fascinating to me. His discussion of the composition of church music, as opposed to what he consider “classical music” was educative to me, and there were a number of compositions that I learned about in this book of which I did not have previous knowledge. For instance, I never knew that someone actually composed a piece based on the Prayers of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Philip Moore, btw). The introduction of new music to discover was priceless for me. Then, the relationship between church, church music, and the Crown — endemic to the Church of England — and the dynamics of the English Reformation and Anglican-Catholic antagonism, was an aspect of reformation history for which I was not previously knowledgeable, and I’ve read quite a bit on the subject for years now. The fact that in some cases there are codes in certain hymns, or that certain hymns (many of which we consider “standards” these days) actually come from different theological traditions and perspectives was educative.
It is an accessible read, however, even if bordering on the academic. The author employs quite a bit of humour while also arguing his take on court snd composers and music. It did make me want to continue to do reading in this subject area and, perhaps, look for a course on the subject to endeavor. The Rorem book is a better avenue for a good book club study or church class in terms of studying hymns specifically. This book is more if one wants the full freight of the development of church music, albeit heavily weighted and almost exclusively from an English perspective.
I am not a musician and so some of what the author discusses in the book in terms of the technicalities of music was a bit over my head. But from the standpoint of history, the development of music in the church, from being part of the liturgy to the eventual use of hymnody as an expression to support liturgy and theology, not to mention the changing roles of who did what (i.e., in terms of singing) was utterly fascinating to me. His discussion of the composition of church music, as opposed to what he consider “classical music” was educative to me, and there were a number of compositions that I learned about in this book of which I did not have previous knowledge. For instance, I never knew that someone actually composed a piece based on the Prayers of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Philip Moore, btw). The introduction of new music to discover was priceless for me. Then, the relationship between church, church music, and the Crown — endemic to the Church of England — and the dynamics of the English Reformation and Anglican-Catholic antagonism, was an aspect of reformation history for which I was not previously knowledgeable, and I’ve read quite a bit on the subject for years now. The fact that in some cases there are codes in certain hymns, or that certain hymns (many of which we consider “standards” these days) actually come from different theological traditions and perspectives was educative.
It is an accessible read, however, even if bordering on the academic. The author employs quite a bit of humour while also arguing his take on court snd composers and music. It did make me want to continue to do reading in this subject area and, perhaps, look for a course on the subject to endeavor. The Rorem book is a better avenue for a good book club study or church class in terms of studying hymns specifically. This book is more if one wants the full freight of the development of church music, albeit heavily weighted and almost exclusively from an English perspective.
October 30, 2023
First sentence: A freezing Saturday in February. A packed soccer ground in England. The match is tense. The ref gives a free kick. The crowd stamps and jeers and shouts, a song swells and stirs from the stands....
Do I regret the time I spent reading this one? No. Not really. But I do admit it included a LOT of skimming.
I think this one is all about expectations. What are YOUR expectations when picking this one up.
This one includes heavy doses of music theory, music history, history-history, politics, and religion. I was MOST interested in how the English Reformation changed music, church music. By far these chapters dealing with Henry VIII and his heirs, the development of the Book of Common Prayer, the translation of the Scriptures into English, and the back-and-forth of will English be Protestant or Catholic [or a bit of both] are the most interesting.
Perhaps scholars and/or scholarly musicians OR those raised in the Anglican church in Great Britain will find this one easier to read. There is a bit of disconnect. Plenty of name dropping of composers and musicians from many centuries ago. But with no context of WHAT those music pieces sound like, it fell a bit flat for me personally.
I am convinced that if this was a documentary with MUSIC to sample and visual aids (to help keep one engaged), it would be fascinating. If I can watch HOURS and HOURS on end of British documentaries on history and the royal family, surely I could watch hours about the church AND the history of music within the church. This one desperately needs actual MUSIC to make an impact with readers...unless you've studied this OR was raised in it.
Again, the book itself wasn't bad just very dry and scholarly.
Do I regret the time I spent reading this one? No. Not really. But I do admit it included a LOT of skimming.
I think this one is all about expectations. What are YOUR expectations when picking this one up.
This one includes heavy doses of music theory, music history, history-history, politics, and religion. I was MOST interested in how the English Reformation changed music, church music. By far these chapters dealing with Henry VIII and his heirs, the development of the Book of Common Prayer, the translation of the Scriptures into English, and the back-and-forth of will English be Protestant or Catholic [or a bit of both] are the most interesting.
Perhaps scholars and/or scholarly musicians OR those raised in the Anglican church in Great Britain will find this one easier to read. There is a bit of disconnect. Plenty of name dropping of composers and musicians from many centuries ago. But with no context of WHAT those music pieces sound like, it fell a bit flat for me personally.
I am convinced that if this was a documentary with MUSIC to sample and visual aids (to help keep one engaged), it would be fascinating. If I can watch HOURS and HOURS on end of British documentaries on history and the royal family, surely I could watch hours about the church AND the history of music within the church. This one desperately needs actual MUSIC to make an impact with readers...unless you've studied this OR was raised in it.
Again, the book itself wasn't bad just very dry and scholarly.
May 7, 2018
A delightfully witty and informative book on the history of English church music. Thanks to the book I've discovered some musical gems such as Wylkynson's 13 part harmony Jesus autem transiens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HyWo...
And Tallis's Spem in alium, a 40 voice motet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3FJx...
I've been looking up the pieces he discusses on YouTube and creating a playlist, which I'm not finished with, but here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HyWo...
And Tallis's Spem in alium, a 40 voice motet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3FJx...
I've been looking up the pieces he discusses on YouTube and creating a playlist, which I'm not finished with, but here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
July 9, 2017
Wow. I picked it up because of two very favorable NYT reviews. I grew up with this music on Sundays and never paid it much attention. This book brought me back. And it had great English history stories to boot.
The writing was very fluid and engaging. Sometimes the author assumed i knew what the fifth movement of Handel's symphony in 5 blah blah blah actually sounded like. But, who cares. It was an enjoyable reading experience from beginning to end.
I've now made choral music a background to much of my reading and love it.
Thank you for writing this!
The writing was very fluid and engaging. Sometimes the author assumed i knew what the fifth movement of Handel's symphony in 5 blah blah blah actually sounded like. But, who cares. It was an enjoyable reading experience from beginning to end.
I've now made choral music a background to much of my reading and love it.
Thank you for writing this!
June 20, 2020
Erudite and witty
This is a magnificent survey of English choral music. It also provides a valuable insight into ecclesiastical history. But above all it deals with musicians and composers, with wit and authority. Choral music is one of the glories of Anglicanism. But under the influence of the Oxford Movement there has been the creation of a great harvest of hymns deriving from the early days of the Church, with superb music. Andrew Gangt's survey merits a wide readership.
This is a magnificent survey of English choral music. It also provides a valuable insight into ecclesiastical history. But above all it deals with musicians and composers, with wit and authority. Choral music is one of the glories of Anglicanism. But under the influence of the Oxford Movement there has been the creation of a great harvest of hymns deriving from the early days of the Church, with superb music. Andrew Gangt's survey merits a wide readership.
November 28, 2020
Marvelous review of this subject with many musical illustrations.
April 17, 2025
Could almost have been subtitled A History of the Chapel Royal... a very scholarly and well researched book. Mentions lots of interesting composers and pieces I don't know, so I'll enjoy looking for those. By its very nature it's top-down, formal church music mostly (and plenty written by non-Christians). What I really missed was more of a view-from-the-pew angle. I do understand that most useful records have been kept in the richest, more elite church buildings and institutions.
I cannot believe that congregational singing without choirs was always as bad as described here! Then again, probably Pepys & co only felt like mentioning psalm singing and "lining out" style when it was very badly done?
A shame that worship songs/bands get such a brief mention, and no, they don't all "perform".
I found Andrew Gant's Christmas carols book better, but this was a good read.
I cannot believe that congregational singing without choirs was always as bad as described here! Then again, probably Pepys & co only felt like mentioning psalm singing and "lining out" style when it was very badly done?
A shame that worship songs/bands get such a brief mention, and no, they don't all "perform".
I found Andrew Gant's Christmas carols book better, but this was a good read.
November 21, 2019
Fascinating and highly readable
November 17, 2015
No musical knowledge or experience of singing in a church choir renders this book to be largely a list of dead white men of whom the author approves or disapproves to varying degrees. (I'm possibly not the target audience.)
Use of YouTube does help with bringing some of it to life, and Andrew Gant does have the occasional wonderfully pithy turn of phrase ("Even East Anglians deserve better than this" and "Ipswich, that hotbed of reactionary Puritanism" were two of my favourites).
It was interesting to note the consistency with which church leaders were/are suspicious of people enjoying themselves. And my own cultural forebears are here: Elizabeth I listens to a choirboy when visiting Norwich but "the rudeness of some ringers of bells did somewhat hinder the noise of the harmony".
Use of YouTube does help with bringing some of it to life, and Andrew Gant does have the occasional wonderfully pithy turn of phrase ("Even East Anglians deserve better than this" and "Ipswich, that hotbed of reactionary Puritanism" were two of my favourites).
It was interesting to note the consistency with which church leaders were/are suspicious of people enjoying themselves. And my own cultural forebears are here: Elizabeth I listens to a choirboy when visiting Norwich but "the rudeness of some ringers of bells did somewhat hinder the noise of the harmony".
June 21, 2020
Such fun!
Andrew Gant writes with knowledge and great love about his subject. And the writing is so entertaining too, with lots of sparkling asides about music, politics, history, as well as the state of the contemporary Church.
Loved it.
Andrew Gant writes with knowledge and great love about his subject. And the writing is so entertaining too, with lots of sparkling asides about music, politics, history, as well as the state of the contemporary Church.
Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews