The Moravians, or Bohemian Brethren, early Protestants who settled in
Pennsylvania and North Carolina in the eighteenth century, brought a
musical repertoire that included hymns, sacred vocal works accompanied
by chamber orchestra, and instrumental music by the best-known European
composers of the day. Moravian composers -- mostly pastors and teachers
trained in the styles and genres of the Haydn-Mozart era -- crafted
thousands of compositions for worship, and copied and collected
thousands of instrumental works for recreation and instruction.
The book's chapters examine sacred and secular works, both for
instruments -- including piano solo -- and for voices. The Musicof the
Moravian Church demonstrates the varied roles that music played in one
of America's most distinctive ethno-cultural populations, and presents
many distinctive pieces that performers and audiences continue to find
rewarding.
Contributors: Alice M. Caldwell, C. Daniel Crews, Lou Carol Fix, Pauline
M. Fox, Albert H. Frank, Nola Reed Knouse, Laurence Libin, Paul M.
Peucker, and Jewel A. Smith.
Nola Reed Knouse, director of theMoravian Music Foundation since 1994,
is active as a flautist, composer, and arranger. She is the editor of
The Collected Wind Music of David Moritz Michael.