Singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs

Rev D’Arcy Wood describes the significance of music for the Church at prayer and explores how to approach choosing suitable music for the liturgy, bearing in mind the singing ability of worshippers and available musical leadership.

Born in Tonga, Rev Dr D’Arcy Wood holds BA(Hons), MA and BD(Hons) degrees from Melbourne and a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. He spent 15 years lecturing in theology and liturgy in Adelaide. He was President of the Uniting Church in Australia 1991-94. D'Arcy served on the editorial committee of three ecumenical hymnals: The Australian Hymn Book (1977), Sing Alleluia (1987) and Together in Song (1999). He also helped prepare the Basis of Union, which is the foundational document of the Uniting Church in Australia. Now retired, he continues to write on ecumenism, history, liturgy and hymnology.