The culture and social context of various countries has defined Christian music in numerous ways. It is difficult to derive a common definition as a variation has been observed in the significance, performance and creation of Christian music.
But all the definitions convey a single idea that Christian music is a means to express communal and personal belief with regard to Christian life and faith.
May it be religious, ceremonial, aesthetic pleasure or entertainment Christian music has travelled through different spheres and its themes include Worship, Penitence, Praise and lament.
The pages from history state that the Hebrew, Syrian and Greeks influenced Christian music. The first evidence of hymns was observed in the Syrian churches.
Soon after the beginning of Christian music problems were faced with regard to understanding the lyrics of the song. Hence the Council of Trent intervened to solve the matter and Palestrina was asked by Pope Marcellus to simplify the music without harming its melody.
Jesus Freak - The album of DcTalk achieving the highest first week sales in the history of Christian music. Billboard Magazine recognizing Carman's influence in Christian music by giving him the title of Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year!!
The Liturgical movement of the 19th and 20th centuries creating waves in music history. Kirk Franklin's debut gospel album sales crossing 1 million - These are some of the milestones in the history of Christian music which are the cherished by the Christian music timeline.
Duet, trio, quartet, madrigal, choir are the specialised subgroups involved in singing Christian music and it is mostly used for worship and religious services.
But at times instrumental worship music which was unsung was created with the help of instruments such as piano, organ, guitar and other solo instruments.
The venue for Christian music was similar to any other musical group or act. There was a time when Christian music captured the hearts of the people in concert hall, clubs and church related venues.
The beginning of the 1970s witnessed one of the greatest achievements in the history of Christian music. The Jesus movement of the 70s played an important role in the development of Christian music and the result was the advancement of Christian music industry into a billion dollar enterprise. The Ichthus Christian music festival was also a gift of the seventies.
Bach, Handel and Mozart are the all time favourite Christian music composers. The famous composition of Bach was B-Major Mass.
Monteverdi felled Bach and created magic using word painting and dissonance. Handel was the creator of the religious opera with a narrator which was called Oratorio. Michael W Smith, Russ Taff and Sandi Patty were the Christian music composers of the 80s.
The birth of the Contemporary Christian music marks the last stage in the history of Christian music.
Article about: History of Christian music
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