"Our music is a cantus firmus ('a fixed melody')," to quote Carl Schalk at the beginning of this selected collection of essays of the celebrated composer, teacher, and writer for and to the Church. This cantus firmus, the Church's song, is "the unavoidable result of the new life in Christ," he writes. And so it is the living song of Christ in the Chruch to which Schalk invites the reader in these essays. From dust jacket.

"The word cantor is the traditional term used by Lutherans for those responsible for "shaping, developing, and nurturing the musical life of the congregation worship." While a cantor's specific duties may vary from one congregation to another, they typically include leading the music of the congregation from the organ or a keyboard, preparing and directing a variety of choirs and instrumental ensembles, and planning and carrying out an effective music...