Center for Church Music

“Sound & Silence”

“But Mary pondered all these things in her heart…” (Luke 2:19)

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life…” (1 Thess. 4:11a)

It’s quite amazing how important silence is to us as church musicians. After all, our media is sound! And it’s not only the importance of silence (rests) in our music itself, but also how crucial it is for the worship lives of those in the pew. Through the Holy Spirit, times of quiet meditation deepen faith in profound ways beyond our understanding.

A new book---The Quiet Ambition: Scripture’s Surprising Antidote to Our Restless Lives by Ryan P. Tinetti (InterVarsity Press, November 2025)---takes this even deeper, proposing that quiet ambition in our personal and professional lives is a healthy, daily exercise of hope and trust in God. It finds a middle ground by separating ourselves from actively engaging with the loud noise of the world (and, sometimes, of the church) and a quiet hopelessness and resigned desperation.  It is working each day in the quiet confidence of life and work of Jesus. As with most of the Christian life, it is focused outward on the needs of others, in love for those we serve---our volunteers, colleagues and all the faithful believers in our congregation. It is the divine antidote---a gift of God--- to the raucous static which tries to envelope and diminish us in daily life.

We do our work as church musicians quietly, fully leaning on the Word made flesh among us.

“Creator of life’s turning,

Horizon of our quest,

Praise be for our unlearning,

Unknowing, and unrest,

May wonder lead to waking,

May sight our minds renew,

That every course of seeking

Turns deeper into you.”

Copyright © 2006 Susan Palo Cherwien, admin. Augsburg Fortress.

May the silences (and sounds) of this holy season be a great blessing to you this year and always!

Barry L. Bobb

Director, Center for Church Music

(I am very grateful for an early review of the Tinetti book written by Amy Mantravadi and posted on the website of 1517.org on November 19, 2025)

Resource Room

• Books, magazines, recordings, the Schalk American Lutheran Hymnal Collection (541 volumes) and the ever-expanding archives of the original manuscripts of great American Lutheran composers & hymn writers.
• Liturgical Choir Music Library

Digital Initiative

• All of the volumes in the hymnal collection can be perused online at www.hymnary.org or from this website. See "Hymnal Collection Index."
• Many of the original manuscripts are accessible online at the Center’s website (including Manz, Schalk, Hillert, Pelz, Thoms, Busarow, Bouman and others...) See "Composer Manuscript Indices".

Website

• Devotions, interviews, profiles, essays, forums, ideas, an arts registry

Print publications

• Books and monographs in the Shaping American Lutheran Church Music series available through Amazon and Fortress Press

Encouragement of the next generation

• Hillert Award in Student Composition---open to any undergrad or graduate student at a Lutheran university or seminary in the United States
• Schalk Scholars
  • Creates awareness and access to current research in the areas of music and the arts
  • Provides stipends for research as well as publication and venues for presentations for these emerging scholars
  • Arts Registry
  • Contact information and samples from composers, visual artists, writers, designers, media artists.