Presidential Praise: Our Presidents And Their Hymns
| By author: | C. Edward Spann |
| Edited by: | Michael E. Williams Sr. |
Product Code:
H763
ISBN:
9780881461176
Product Format:
Hardback
Publisher:
Mercer University Press
Print on Demand title
Price:
$35.00
Presidential Praise: Our Presidents and Their Hymns offers the most
comprehensive coverage ever written of the influence of hymns on the lives
and administrations of America’s presidents. Each chapter begins with
Michael Williams’s concise presentation of each president’s path to the
White House and his accomplishments and failures as president. C. Edward
Spann then introduces how each president regarded music, whether or not he
was musical, and music in the White House during each president’s
administration. These hymns may be related to developments in the life of
the president, including his spiritual journey, major decisions he had to
make as president, or even his selection of the inaugural Scripture.
Spann then tells the story of how the hymn was written, both the words and the
music. Presenting this scholarly material in an inspiring manner is part of
the delight of the book. In doing so, the book covers a panorama of hymnody
from 1614 to the 1980s. After an interpretation of the words, it is
demonstrated why the chosen hymns were meaningful to each president. The
format of each chapter reveals this special emphasis that can’t be found
elsewhere.