Te Deum: The Church and Music

Te Deum represents a lifetime of learning and teaching, and is informed by Westermeyer's vast experience as pastor, musician, scholar, and teacher. Written in a clear and refreshing style for students and scholars alike, the author provides a comprehensive timeline, an extensive bibliography, and careful definition of terminology wherever necessary.Designed especially for students and teachers of liturgy and church music as well as clergy, musicians, lay readers, and libraries, Te Deum: The Church and Music stands in partnership with other texts on the topic, serving as a textbook, a reference, a history, and an essay.Endorsments for Te DeumIn Te Deum Paul Westermeyer demonstrates that he possesses the keen eye of an historian, the critical mind of a theologian, and the heart of a musician. Breathtaking in its scope, yet accessible in design, this volume fills a significant void in the literature--and does so with style and grace. Bravo! -Edward B. Foley, OFM CAP, Professor Emeritus of Liturgy and Music at Catholic Theological Union, ChicagoThis is a book for anyone interested in the history of the church's song or the place that song has in our contemporary worship. Westermeyer writes for both the trained musician and the interested amateur and tells a significant story in an engaging and informative way. -John Ferguson, Professor Emeritus of Music, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MinnesotaIn the spirit of the late Erik Routley, Paul Westermeyer has provided the church music community a cogent yet complete text on western church music practice centered on the people's song. Westermeyer combines the rigor of a church historian and theologian with the experience of a practicing church musician--a rare combination. This book is more than a list of names, movements, and dates. It conveys a sense of the people and ideas that fill out the eras of church music in a readable and accessible style. Westermeyer helps us see not only where church music has been, but challenges us to use the experience of the past to make thoughtful decisions about the future. -C. Michael Hawn, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Church Music, Southern Methodist University, Dallas Read more