Description: The history of Western music is tied to the worship of Christians and Jews. It was the Church and synagogue that provided the context for the development of Gregorian chant, the motet, the cantana, and virtually every important theorist, composer, and performer from Ambrose to Zwingli. Worship Music provides concise information on the people, terms, places, and elements of this worship.

Ecumenical in scope and cross-cultural in its perspective, Worship Music focuses on the worship music of English-speaking North Americans. Its over 2,500 entries range across major denominations within Western Christianity, the Byzantine/Slav tradition, and Judaism.

Over 60 contributors represent the traditions addressed in the dictionary, providing authenticity in representing the tradition and an insider's perspective on contemporary practices. The dictionary is shaped through the lens of "ritual music": an ethnomusicological approach which avoids the types of artistic judgments operative in the dominant culture's approach to music. It includes brief descriptions, histories, and explanations of musical-liturgical terms and personnel.

Designed not just for pastoral musicians but all musicians -- hobbyists, students, and professionals -- as well as liturgists, Worship Music is an indispensable guide to the musical aspects of worship.

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