Music and liturgy seem inseparable, yet we seldom pause to ponder their relationship in depth. In this volume, Kathleen Harmon offers her own insights by creatively exploring the complex interplay between congregational singing and the liturgical celebration of the paschal mystery. Harmon asserts that liturgical music, in the form of communal singing, is a vehicle through which the ritual reenactment of the paschal mystery is effected. She addresses concrete and practical pastoral applications of the relationship between music and liturgy. She focuses on how the liturgical singing of the assembly creates the collective consciousness of church as the Body of Christ. Music, then, is much more than just a component of liturgy; it is, in Harmon's view, absolutely constitutive both of liturgy's deepest essence and its fullest realization. Professional music scholars, graduate students, music directors, and anyone else seeking a sophisticated analysis of liturgical music will find this volume a rich sourcebook of new ideas.
"A scholarly examination from first page to last, enhanced with an index, The Mystery We Celebrate, the Song We Sing: A Theology of Liturgical Music is highly recommended for community library Christian collections."
Midwest Book Review
"In The Mystery We Celebrate, the Song We Sing: A Theology of Liturgical Music Kathleen Harmon once again demonstrates her ability to integrate various elements of recent liturgical theology and to place this at the service of the liturgy as envisioned in the church's documents."
Alan J. Hommerding, Senior Liturgy Publications Editor, World Library Publications
"When I finished reading this book, I knew I would return to it in the future. Its final chapter will be [a] prelude to the start of music planning for the upcoming year. . . . I highly recommend this book."
