Western Music History

Music History

Jewish Music from ca. 2000 BCE

Mi Al Har Horev – Obadiah the Proselyte

Salomon Sulzer: Hallelujah (Psalm 111)

Andor Izsák & Hungarian Radio Choir – Lewandowski: Wie ein Hirsch lechzet, Psalm 42 und 43

מוטי כרמל & הקרעטשמע – המבדיל | Hamavdil

Catholic Music since ca. 30 CE / 380 CE

Jesus was most likely crucified in 30 CE or 33 CE, with the majority of modern scholars favoring 30 CE.

The Early Church (also called the Primitive Church or Apostolic Church) is generally considered to have begun in 30 CE or 33 CE, immediately following the crucifixion, resurrection, and Pentecost described in the New Testament.

In 380 CE, Emperor Theodosius I made Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire via the Edict of Thessalonica. In 392 CE, he went further by issuing a comprehensive ban that outlawed all remaining pagan practices (including idol worship, temple visits, and private rites), effectively ending centuries of traditional Roman religious tolerance.

Name (Birth-Death Year): Gregorian Chant (Anonymous; compiled over centuries)

Work Title: Kyrie VIII (from Mass VIII, Missa de Angelis)

Pérotin:
Alleluia Nativitas

Perotin:
Viderunt Omnes

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594)
Ave Maria for 5 voices (1575)

Note: Published in his collection Motettorum liber tertius / Third Book of Motets)

Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179):
O ignis Spiritus paracliti (c. 1150s)

Note: Often titled De Spiritu Sancto. This is a sequence hymn praising the Holy Spirit as the “Fire of the Comforter” and “Life of the life of all creatures.”

W. A. Mozart:
Ave Verum Corpus (“Hail, True Body”), K. 618
(1971)

Mendelssohn:
Ave Maria, Op. 23, No. 2
(1830)

John Mason Neale (1818–1866):
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
(1861)

Note: Text translated by Neale from the 12th-century Latin “O Antiphons.” The melody (VENI EMMANUEL) is a 15th-century French Processional.

Archdiocese of Taipei: Catholic Evangelization Festival Song Spreading Salvation Official Music Video (2023)

Music Arrangement, Mixing, and Mastering
Music Genres: EDM

Info:
At the request of the priest, this time, the arrangement and mixing were done in an electronic dance music style.

Pedro Ferreira (b. 1979):
Há Pressa no Ar / There is Haste in the Air (2021)

Note: Official theme song of World Youth Day Lisbon 2023. Lyrics by Padre João Paulo Vaz and Matilde Trocado; arrangement by Carlos Garcia.

Christian Music since October 31, 1517 CE

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther launched the “Protestant Reformation”, which changed the order of Europe and the world.

Martin Luther (1483–1546)
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (In English: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
(c. 1529)

Note: Known as the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation,” with text based on Psalm 46; likely first printed in Joseph Klug’s hymnal.

Martin Luther (1483–1546):
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (In English: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
(c. 1529)

Note: Known as the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation,” with text based on Psalm 46; likely first printed in Joseph Klug’s hymnal.

William M. Runyan (1870–1957):
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
(1923)
Note: Text by Thomas O. Chisholm (1866–1960). Runyan composed this music specifically for Chisholm’s poem.

John Wyeth (1770–1858) [attributed]:
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (1813)

Note: Text by Robert Robinson (1735–1790). The melody (known as “Nettleton”) first appeared in Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music.

Adoniram J. Gordon (1836–1895):
My Jesus, I Love Thee
(1876)

Note: Text by William R. Featherston (1846–1873). Gordon composed this tune specifically for Featherston’s earlier text.

J. S. Bach:
The Christmas Oratorio (German: Weihnachtsoratorium), BWV 248
(1734)

Sandy Yu (Contemporary):
You Are Our God
(2022)
Note: Lyrics by Tiffany M. Cheng and Sandy Yu. Published in Stream of Praise Worship Album 27, Let Faith Arise (讚美中信心不斷升起).

Irving Berlin (1888–1989):
White Christmas
(1942)
Note: Performed by Human Nature on their 2013 album The Christmas Album. The song was originally written by Berlin for the film Holiday Inn.

Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, and Phil Wickham:
Holy Forever
(2022)
Note: Performed by Chris Tomlin on his album Always. Co-written by a collaborative team of prominent contemporary worship leaders and songwriters.

Classucak Music

J. S. Bach:
The Christmas Oratorio (German: Weihnachtsoratorium), BWV 248
(1734)