Sing to the Lord a New Song : Choirs in the Worship and Culture of the Dutch Reformed Church in America, 1785-1860

As their privileged status evaporated in America's melting pot, the Dutch Reformed Church was forced to compete with a host of rising Protestant denominations in the New World.

Survival became linked to assimilating within a new American way of life, with its own distinct language, culture, and religious practices.

Gradually, organs, hymns and institutional church choirs were added to the traditional singing of the Psalter -- innovations that altered the very fabric of Dutch Reformed religious life in America.Sing to the Lord a New Song examines how choirs in particular revolutionized the Dutch Reformed Church in the nineteenth century, transforming the church's very nature in terms of worship, ecclesiastical life, institutional structures, and even social, fiscal, and moral practices.

Moreover, the book examines how choirs helped break social barriers, particularly those regarding the status and role of women in the church.

Includes audio CD.