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| N.B.: A WinZip
(.zip) archive (17.9 MB) containing a PowerPoint Presentation (.ppt) and
sound files (.mp3) summarizing the historical and musical background to Suzanne
Haïk-Vantoura's work may be downloaded via
this link. |
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| The following books are listed (in most cases) due to their mention of Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura's
thesis. All of them have much additional material which relates to the musical, ethical and theological issues
upon which Haïk-Vantoura's discovery touches, and as such should prove valuable to the Christian musician,
composer and worship leader. However, I believe these resources do not address in sufficient detail how the differing
spirits of religious sects, even conservative
Christian ones, influence how otherwise sound musical techniques may be applied. (Books dealing with issues specifically
relating to Jewish liturgy will also be listed here in due time.) |
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MUSIC,
SPIRIT AND THE KEYS TO PROPHECY: Restoring the Sacred Art
R.S. (Roger) James
This self-published book (written by a jazz musician and composer) is notable for several reasons, not least because
it contains a good summary of the technical basis and the musical and spiritual implications of Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura's
work. This summary and much else about artistic and philosophical trends in history (and what the Bible says about
them) is intermixed with the author's own model of how the tonal scale relates to biblical symbolism and ethics.
In his words, he claims "that the dramatic template for history and the Bible itself is to be found in the
very physics of the musical scale." This last claim is worthy of detailed review, and in due time I hope to
publish one on the Appendices page of this site. In the meantime I want to express my public thanks for Mr. James' often-unsung
efforts over several years to promote Mme. Haïk-Vantoura's work in the face of considerable public inertia
and even opposition.
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For the present, Mr. James' own Web site, www.sacredscales.com, is offline. Christian Media Network and Armageddon Books offer links
through which one may order this book.
The companion CD (so to speak) to this book, Music of the Prophets, is described on the Recordings page of this site.
Review from Amazon.com:
Editorial Reviews
John Wheeler, King David's Harp, Inc.
...In M.S.P.K., he develops a model of how tonal relationships mirror historical and prophetic events.
Dr. Scott Martin, Academy of the Arts
Mr. James also brings the ancient biblical music into a NOW event.
About the Author
R.S. James is a composer, author, and prophecy scholar.
Book Description
Three historic discoveries connecting music and prophecy. Learn of the music of the Hebrew Bible. The recovered
name of God. See how the biblical drama, including prophecy, is mirrored in the seven-tone musical scale. |
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MUSIC & MINISTRY: A BIBLICAL COUNTERPOINT,
SECOND EDITION
Calvin M. Johansson
Review from Amazon.com:
Contemporary or traditional? Blended or seeker? Pop or "classical"? Chorus or hymn? Combo or organ? Questions
concerning music in worship abound these days. Is there a practical way to deal with these issues? |
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In Music and Ministry: A Biblical Counterpoint,
Calvin Johansson looks to God's Word for principles foundational to music ministry. Weaving together great scriptural
truths, he establishes the need for a "directional balance" between pastoral contextualization and prophetic
purity. In a time of facile musical accommodation of the gospel to culture, Dr. Johansson suggests that a heightened
concern for musical style and quality is in order-not for the sake of music, but for the sake of the gospel.
Calvin M. Johansson has served as a church music director for four decades.
He is Professor of Music at Evangel College. He is the author of Music and
Ministry: A Biblical Counterpoint, and Discipling
Music Ministry: Twenty-first Century Directions. |
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DISCIPLING MUSIC MINISTRY: TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY DIRECTIONS
Calvin M. Johansson
Review from Amazon.com:
What is the role of music in the twenty-first century church -- and what should it be? Johansson examines this
and other crucial questions concerning church music and offers "redirection" for the function of music
ministry in the life of the modern church.
Calvin M. Johansson has served as a church music director for four decades.
He is Professor of Music at Evangel College. He is the author of Music and
Ministry: A Biblical Counterpoint, and Discipling
Music Ministry: Twenty-first Century Directions. |
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MUSIC IN THE BALANCE
Frank Garlock & Kurt Woetzel
I find this book especially useful in that it quotes not only Christian but clinical, secular, and even New Age
sources, as well as rock and pop musicians themselves, as to the effects that various musical techniques have on
the performer and the listener alike. (This is but one of many resources available from Majesty Music regarding basic
biblical principles of music, especially that used in worship.) Of all the books given on this page, this is my
personal favorite.
Review from shop.worthwhile.com:
The Lord admonishes us to sing a new song to Him. In Music in the Balance, you will learn what the Scripture says about how we are to sing that song. Now more than
ever, Christians need to hear what God's Word says about music. This book is suitable for individual or group study. |
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LORD OF SONG: THE MESSIAH REVEALED IN THE PSALMS
Ronald B. Allen
This book is written by a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a professor of Hebrew Scripture at Western
Conservative Baptist Seminary, Portland, Oregon. Certainly he is aware of the musical notation of the Masoretic
Text -- and that fact influences my comments below.
Unlike the other books listed on this page, this book does not focus on the issues of what is sound in worship music. Rather, it focuses on why one should worship the Messiah in song. In three enlightening and enjoyable sections of several
chapters each, the author deals with the Savior as the center of the Scriptures, as the Singer of the Psalms, and
as the recipient of the songs we sing to Him. (It is rather strange that Prof. Allen should not be able to transliterate
Jesus' Hebrew/Aramaic name properly into English: it is Yeshua, not Y'shua.) |
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It is worth mentioning (and responding to) something of the author's opinion on the original music of the Psalms.
On p. 149 he writes: "While the Psalms is a book of music, only its lyrics have come down to us -- no musical
notation system has survived. This appears to me to be God's providence. Had we been able to reproduce exactly
the singing of ancient Israel, we likely would believe that such a pattern is the only proper way to make music
to the Lord. And we would be the poorer for it."
If you have read this far on my site, then you know my belief that this argument is a red herring -- and unfounded
besides. The Hebrew Bible does preserve
the original music of the Psalms in a written notation: the te`amim. This was known in Christian circles as far back as the Renaissance by the metrical Psalmist
Thomas Ravenscroft and others -- if indeed not many centuries earlier, when the notation was described by the Catholic
Father Clement of Alexandria. More importantly, the belief in the link between the te`amim and the Temple liturgy was effectively that of the Masoretes themselves, who were in a position
to know (being the heirs of the Elders of Bathyra and the Karaites). But the Word of God is the foundation of humanly obtainable knowledge; it is not
the sum total of that knowledge. Keeping
that distinction in mind keeps one from enshrining
what should be used as a springboard --
even a touchstone -- for discerning what
is "good" music in all cultures and times.
Prof. Allen overlooks the fact that the "new songs" mentioned by the Bible were, in pre-Christian times
to be sure, consistently written and performed in one and the same ancient
and traditional musical system. Not only the biblical notation, but the biblical
narrative, indicates this.1 The Hebrew Bible is not promoting cultural change by such exhortations as one finds in Psalms
96:1; in fact, it is doing precisely the
opposite. It is exhorting the worshipper to sing new
songs in the old sacred style.2 This
sort of traditionalism is typical of ancient and traditional music in general, even in folk music where improvisation within limits was and remains the norm.3 Constant demand for change in style is
a relatively recent thing in human history, something we may lose sight of because the trend has been accelerating
in modern times.
If Prof. Allen claims (and rightly so) that "all the best music of the ages and cultures of man may be used
to praise the Lord of Song" (ibid.),
how then shall we judge what is "best"? While the biblical narratives and exhortations give us many valuable
keys to making that assessment, they do not answer every
question that may be raised -- especially with regard to the subtleties of the ethos or moral force in
music. I submit that only the original
music of the Bible, with its truly and uniquely inspired
combination of scale, mode, rhythm, ornamentation, dynamics and so forth with the words it supports, can train
one's ear to make infallible distinctions
between good and evil in music. |
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OH, BE CAREFUL LITTLE EARS: Contemporary Christian Music
Kimberly Smith, Lee Smith (Contributor)
Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) has long been the subject of heated debate among believers. Kim Smith's book
Oh, Be Careful Little Ears is meant to
examine the phenomenon of CCM from a biblical perspective. I have not yet read this book, but in the light of my
perusal of its sequel (see below), I suggest this book and its companion volume as a worthwhile study.
Review from Amazon.com:
About the Author
Kimberly Smith holds a Master's degree in Biblical studies from George Wythe College and is an accomplished pianist
with over thirty-five years of musical experience. Her Bachelor's degree in Speech and Dramatic Art from the University
of Missouri--Columbia, includes music studies in piano performance and jazz band, as well as extra-curricular accompaniment
for choir and solo instrumentalists. She has also served as church pianist.
Currently, Kimberly serves as church organist , plays piano for a community Bible study, and accompanies her daughter's
violin solos at the St. Louis Symphony Community Music School. |
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LET THOSE WHO HAVE EARS TO HEAR
Kimberly Smith
Review from Amazon.com:
Book Description
Contemporary Christian music has long been the subject of heated debate among believers. Often those who defend
it have no solid backing for their beliefs. Kim Smith's book Let Those Who Have Ear to Hear delves
into the issue to see what Scripture has to say and challenges believers to re-align their opinions with the Word
of God.
In this sequel to Kim's controversial first book, Oh, Be Careful Little Ears, she continues to diplomatically face and answer challenging questions posed by believers
regarding all facets of the contemporary Christian music issue. Delving into the heart and soul of rock group musicians,
Kim uncovers their blatant and unashamed agenda in the beat of their music. She then translates this to the CCM
platform and draws godly conclusions based on Scripture.
Journey with Kim through many aspects of the history, beat, and the effect music has on us. Discover for yourself
the surprising conclusions drawn in this book.
About the Author
Kimberly Smith holds a Master's degree in Biblical studies from George Wythe College and is an accomplished pianist
with over thirty-five years of musical experience. Her Bachelor's degree in Speech and Dramatic Art from the University
of Missouri--Columbia, includes music studies in piano performance and jazz band, as well as extra-curricular accompaniment
for choir and solo instrumentalists. She has also served as church pianist.
Currently, Kimberly serves as church organist , plays piano for a community Bible study, and accompanies her daughter's
violin solos at the St. Louis Symphony Community Music School. |
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FOOTNOTES
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1. As noted elsewhere, the Psalms
were always done "according to the
hands of David" and his section leaders, from David's own time to the time of Ezra and beyond.
2. One sees this fulfilled
in the remarkable variety, within strict technical limits, of the Psalms' original melodies.
3. "In Greece, as in
all ancient countries, music was learned from oral tradition and improvisation was the basis of music playing"
("Ancient Greece", in Music in the Ancient World, The Haifa Music Museum and AMLI Library, 1979, page number not given). This assessment is
too extreme when applied to classical
music, given what we know about music notation even in Greece (let alone what we now know about chironomy, which
was hardly an improvised art but filled the role of a precise, "classical" notation). But it would have
been valid for folk music, as it still
is in many, many parts of the world. |
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Updated November 05, 2008
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