Meaning-Making in the Contemporary Congregational Song Genre

ISBN-13: 9783030556082 / Angielski / Twarda / 2020 / 236 str.

Daniel Thornton

Spis treści

Chapter 1 Contemporary Congregational Songs Genre Formation and Scrutiny      

Introduction      

Key Questions and Findings        

The Formation of a Genre           

Perspectives on CCS History        

Selected Scholarship      

Why Music Semiology? (Texts, Writers, Audience)           

YouTube – the Primary Text       

 

Chapter 2 Contemporary Congregational Songs 

What’s in a Name?         

Praise and Worship Theology     

Contemporary for whom?           

Defining congregational

Songs or Music?               

Are the most sung songs representative of the genre?   

Songs Under Analysis    

 

Chapter 3 The Contemporary Congregational Song Industry (Poietic Analysis Pt 1)              

Introduction      

Where Do They Come From?     

Authenticity, Originality, and the Singer-Songwriter        

The Production Milieu   

Industry Insights              

 

Chapter 4 So the Songwriters Say (Poietic Analysis Pt 2) 

Who’s who?      

Writing for the People  

Performance or Participation?   

Predicting Success          

Conclusion         

 

Chapter 5  The Old and New Guard – Ways of Thinking for Contemporary Congregational Songs Writers (Poietic Analysis Pt 3)        

Bridging Old and New   

Theological Considerations         

Co-writing          

Roles and Writing            

Poietic conclusion           

 

Chapter 6 How Christians Feel About the Songs they Sing – Individually (Esthesic Analysis Pt 1)    

Methods and Background           

To Sing or Not to Sing    

The Individual’s Perspective and their Voice        

Why Christians Connect with Certain Songs         

 

Chapter 7  How Christians Feel About the Songs they Sing – Corporately (Esthesic Analysis Pt 2)   

Australia’s National Church Life Surveys

What Gathered Worshipers Really Think

The Other NCLS Survey and What it Reveals        

The Big Picture of Local Churches’ Musical Worship         

Synthesizing the Individual and Corporate            

 

Chapter 8 Just Another Pop Song? The Music  (Trace Analysis Pt 1)            

Introduction      

Memorable Melodies   

Melodic Expectations    

Catchy 

Banal Harmony

The Band            

Tempos and Time Signatures     

Structure            

Chapter 9 Just Another Pop Song? The Lyrics  (Trace Analysis Pt 2)            

Introduction      

Counting Lyrics 

Addressing God

Theology and Poetry     

CCS Categories 

Focus of current CCS      

 

Chapter 10 Some Individual Examples – Australia  (Trace Analysis Pt 3)    

The Problem with Analysing a Genre      

Cornerstone     

Mighty To Save

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)   

What A Beautiful Name

 

Chapter 11 Some Individual Examples – UK and USA  (Trace Analysis Pt 4)              

10,000 Reasons

How Great Is Our God   

In Christ Alone 

Revelation Song

Trace Analysis Conclusion            

Chapter 12 The Current and Future Contemporary Congregational Songs Genre   

Meaning-making in CCS

Conflicting Messages    

Ambivalence or Appropriation   

The Evolving Genre        

The Functional Genre    

Where to From Here?    

O autorze

Daniel Thornton is the Head of Worship at Alphacrucis College, Australia, and an ordained minister with the Australian Christian Churches. A professional composer and performer, Daniel has written and recorded numerous albums and continues to lead worship and train worshipers in churches around the world.

Blurb

This book analyses the most sung contemporary congregational songs (CCS) as a global music genre. Utilising a three-part music semiology, this research engages with producers, musical texts, and audiences/congregations to better understand contemporary worship for the modern church and individual Christians. 

Christian Copyright Licensing International data plays a key role in identifying the most sung CCS, while YouTube mediations of these songs and their associated data provide the primary texts for analysis.  Producers and the production milieu are explored through interviews with some of the highest profile worship leaders/songwriters including Ben Fielding, Darlene Zschech, Matt Redman, and Tim Hughes, as well as other music industry veterans.  Finally, National Church Life Survey data and a specialized survey provide insight into individual Christians’ engagement with CCS. Daniel Thornton shows how these perspectives taken together provide unique insight into the current global CCS genre, and into its possible futures.