Church Music Through the Lens of Performance

Marcell Silva Steuernagel author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:15th Mar '21

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Church Music Through the Lens of Performance cover

This book is an investigation into church music through the lens of performance theory, both as a discipline and as a theoretical framework. Scholars who address religious music making in general, and Christian church music in particular, use "performance" in a variety of ways, creating confusion around the term. A systematized performance vocabulary for the study of church music can support interdisciplinary investigations of Christian congregational music making in today’s complex, interconnected world.

From the perspective of performance theory, all those involved in church musicking are performing, be it from platform or pew. The book employs a hybrid methodology that combines ethnographic research and theory from ritual studies, ethnomusicology, theology, and church music scholarship to establish performance studies as a possible "next step" in church music studies. It demonstrates the feasibility of studying church music as performance by analyzing ethnographic case studies using a developmental framework based on the concepts of ritual, embodiment, and play/change.

This book offers a fresh perspective on Christian congregational music making. It will, therefore, be a key reference work for scholars working in Congregational Music Studies, Ethnomusicology, Ritual Studies and Performance Studies, as well as practitioners interested in examining their own church music practices.

"Performance" is a troublesome word for musical leaders who attempt to understand their role in worship, sometimes seeing spiritual authenticity as incompatible with the complex skills required of a performer in worship. Professor Steuernagel provides a nuanced description of embodied worship performance and offers self-awareness strategies for those that guide sacred ritual. Integrating a complex array of fields, this is break-through research that offers a clear framework for redefining the vocation of the musical worship leader across musical styles and cultural, ethnic, and ecclesial contexts.

C. Michael Hawn, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Church Music, Adjunct Professor and Director, Doctor of Pastoral Music Program, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, USA

Music is never alone. By bringing the multi-disciplinary lens of performance studies to church music, Marcell Silva Steuernagel expands our awareness of how musical acts of worship are embodied, constitutive actions. Performing music doesn't just bring a repertoire to life but the music brings us to life. Balancing ethnography with critical analysis, Silva Steuernagel offers a smart and thoughtful way to understand the complexities of community and identity.

Anna Nekola, Assistant Professor of Music, Canadian Mennonite University, Canada


"Performance" is a troublesome word for musical leaders who attempt to understand their role in worship, sometimes seeing spiritual authenticity as incompatible with the complex skills required of a performer in worship. Professor Steuernagel provides a nuanced description of embodied worship performance and offers self-awareness strategies for those that guide sacred ritual. Integrating a complex array of fields, this is break-through research that offers a clear framework for redefining the vocation of the musical worship leader across musical styles and cultural, ethnic, and ecclesial contexts.

C. Michael Hawn, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Church Music, Adjunct Professor and Director, Doctor of Pastoral Music Program, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, USA

Music is never alone. By bringing the multi-disciplinary lens of performance studies to church music, Marcell Silva Steuernagel expands our awareness of how musical acts of worship are embodied, constitutive actions. Performing music doesn't just bring a repertoire to life but the music brings us to life. Balancing ethnography with critical analysis, Silva Steuernagel offers a smart and thoughtful way to understand the complexities of community and identity.

Anna Nekola, Assistant Professor of Music, Canadian Mennonite University, Canada

ISBN: 9780367530655

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 449g

200 pages