Church Music In The American Colonies

The preceding article traced the outlines of the revivalist music tradition in both Europe and America. The following article looks more closely at the church music in the period of American colonization and revolution. Church music during this period was based on European models, especially the Psalm singing of the Calvinists. Later, the rise of singing schools and the presence of groups such as the Moravians and Shakers produced church music that was distinctively American. A census of citizens of North America in 1790 revealed that only 5 percent professed any religious affiliation. Today that figure is 95 percent, of whom nearly half worship regularly in a Christian church. These simple statistics represent a growth that might be the envy of Christians in Western Europe, whose numbers have suffered a steady decline over the same period. The story of the development of Christian music in the United States is a complex and colorful one, additionally important for the impact that …