his day, drawing them into the temple of Jerusalem to create the ‘joyful noise’ for which the Israel of David’s time became known. These worship sessions often included dancers, and David himself was known to participate, often becoming the most fervent dancer among them.
Church Music
Present day worship follows David’s model in many respects. Nearly every organized church meeting includes a musical portion of the service featuring songs with lyrical content directed toward God which highlight His attributes, and express how people can relate to Him through those characteristics. During contemporary sessions, people sing along with the song leader and/or band, raise their hands, or dance, all with the intention of directing and focusing their attention upon God. Most bands of this variety are comprised of local musicians who are eager to lend their talents to their church’s worship services, and many church groups draw from a pool of the most talented musicians in their city. These individuals often consider their participation to be an offering of worship in and of itself. The musical styles of these services encompass as many genres and instrumentations as any secular music heard on modern radio, but with a focus on God rather than serving purely as entertainment.
While many churches employ a worship leader who will rely on the songwriting of individuals or organizations outside of their local congregation, original music composed by in-house songwriters is more and more the norm. In many instances, entire church movements have been built around the original musical material composed by their band or worship leader. The songs produced by these teams often become the trademark by which the larger church organizations are known. These churches are widely recognized for drawing some of the most technically proficient and creatively dedicated musicians in the world, who, just as in David’s time, desire to offer their talent for the purpose of drawing attention to God rather than themselves.
The Influence of Hillsong
One such example is Hillsong Music, produced by Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia, which has added such universally recognized songs as Shout To The Lord to the ‘modern worship’ lexicon, and made Darlene Zschech a household name among Christians worldwide. Other such examples are the band ‘Atmospheres’, produced by C3 Church in Asheville, North Carolina, which features music by the internationally acclaimed Steve Deal; and Jesus Culture, a youth-oriented movement born from Bethel Church in Redding, California, which has produced popular music by songwriters Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, and Melissa How.
A great number of insightful study resources related to Christian Music are available through this website, as are recordings by hundreds of the top Worship Music artists mentioned in this article. I would highly encourage anyone interested in worship or its history to invest a measure of time and
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