Download or read book Music in American Religious Experience written by Philip V. Bohlman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-12-08 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the appearance of The Bay Psalm Book in 1640, music has served as a defining factor for American religious experience and has been of fundamental importance in the development of American identity and psyche. The essays in this long-awaited volume explore the diverse ways in which music shapes the distinctive presence of religion in the United States and address the fullness of music's presence in American religious history. Timely, challenging, and stimulating, this collection will appeal to students and scholars of American history, American studies, religious studies, theology, musicology, and ethnomusicology, as well as to practicing sacred musicians.