The antecedents to our Anglican/Episcopal worship music heritage are fairly easy to identity. We begin quite naturally with Holy Scripture, for there are 63 references to music in the Bible. For example, from the Psalms we have: “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.” (Psalm 98:4). And another: “Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre, sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.” (Psalm 33:2). We also read in the Gospel according to St. Matthew that Jesus and his disciples sang at the Last Supper: “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:30). We know from St. Paul that the Early Church carried on the traditions of their Jewish heritage and sang: “…and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” (Colossians 3:16). And prior to the Reformation music in the churches and cathedrals of England consisted primarily of the Gregorian chants and polyphonic settings of the Roman Catholic Latin Mass honed over the centuries by monks in monasteries. But then, in the 1530’s, with King Henry VIII’s break with Rome and the establishment of the Church of England, and the publication by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer of the Book of Common Prayer, a host of creative changes in the use of music in the liturgy got underway.

Paramount in this process was the fact that because the Book of Common Prayer and its liturgies of the Eucharist and the Daily Offices were now in English and not Latin, the music previously sung in Latin was replaced by new music sung in English. This gave rise to an era of great creativity with composers such as Thomas Tallis, Robert Parsons, and William Byrd producing scores for parts of the liturgy that are still in use today. With the coming of the English Civil War and the execution of King Charles I, Puritan influences for simpler worship music, particularly for Morning and Evening Prayer, emerged. But shortly thereafter, with the Restoration period occurring, the musical practices of the Baroque era found their way into Anglican worship; and the many compositions by Henry Purcell for choral anthems and service settings were published. Eventually, in the early 19th century, hymns began to be written for parish use by composers such as John Newton, William Cowper, John Wesley, and Charles Wesley. Obviously this is but a mere glimpse of this vast subject and the wealth of worship music produced within our worship tradition and heritage.

It is important to note, however, that there are a host of reasons why music is part of our worship experience: it teaches us the Gospel; connects us to God in unique ways; allows us to express our love of God with our whole being through our “gifts” and “talents”; and it fulfills God’s command that we do so as found in Holy Scripture. Martin Luther once observed: “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of Music is the greatest treasure in the world.” And our Anglican/Episcopal treasury of sacred music for liturgy settings is perhaps the richest of any to be found. So let us not only be thankful and appreciate our musical heritage, but join the chorus!