Reviewed by Jennifer Brooker

What makes music in church living and workable, or flat and lifeless? From his wide experience as conductor, composer and arranger, James Whitbourn addresses anyone involved in contemporary church music. "It is written not as a musical handbook but as a discussion of system and design," he says. He traces the history of music from King David's instructions to the Levites who brought the Ark to Jerusalem with LOUD music, to the changes over the last four decades; the organ and choir have been our main standbys for nearly a hundred years, now rock bands, folk groups and orchestras are prominent (sometimes in the same place). Whitbourn offers sane, practical and often erudite advice covering a broad range of styles and circumstances, suggesting solutions to dilemmas concerning resources and buildings. He sums up: "With method and structure we prepare for God the best that is possible through human endeavour. Only then can we say to the Holy Spirit, come, take it, breathe life into it." A useful reference book.