How to Compose a Choral Anthem for Church

Want to learn how to compose a choral anthem suitable for church? In “traditional” Protestant liturgy (to use a significant generalization) this anthem would probably serve for special music or music during the offertory and may or may not include congregational singing...

Before saying anything terribly specific about how to approach the composition of the anthem, we must first consider the worship style of the church. We must ask a question using a regrettable dichotomy: Is the “worship” (a common misnomer for music) contemporary (meaning but not limited to, the use of electric guitars and drums, rock ‘n roll beats, and faster tempos) or traditional (perhaps we ought to think “classical,” with pipe organ or piano and possibly an orchestra)? Or, you may encounter a church with a blended worship style. It reminds one of the varieties of pasta sauce available in the supermarket. 

Worship could also refer to the liturgy, or program, of the worship service. This might also be considered contemporary or traditional or, yes, blended. Congregations might be offended by anything departing too severely from worship-as-usual (e.g. the electric guitar played in a church accustomed only to pipe organ, or Keith Getty hymns in a church accustomed to Hillsong United and the David Crowder Band). While some may have theological or other reasons for offending their congregations with dramatic stylistic contrasts, such discussion is beyond the scope of this post. Let’s say for now that we want to keep our job as the church music director or the commissioned composer and not overly offend the church leadership or congregation. 

Supposing that our choral anthem is for use in a church worship service of some kind, it is likely that we shall have to find lyrics to set to music, either existing lyrics or of our own invention. After all, Western classical music developed from the music of the church, beginning with chanting text. A choral anthem need not have lyrics, but for the purposes of this discourse, let’s say we need some lyrics. Depending on the church, there may be more or less concern for the content of the lyrics. This, again, has a lot to do with a church’s theology and matters that we won’t explore at this time.

It is prudent, however, to think about the life of the work beyond the walls of the particular church for which we compose the choral anthem. Some publishers will not bother with anthems containing copyrighted lyrics. While you might be able to obtain permission to use the copyrighted lyrics of someone else, a publisher might still turn down your work simply because it uses copyrighted material. To avoid this, use existing lyrics that are in the “public domain,” or write your own. Writing original lyrics may be preferable to existing lyrics as you craft them to fit your particular church (read context). If using lyrics in the public domain, be sure to give credit to the original author of the lyrics / poem.

Just what constitutes “public domain” involves more than one might expect. Rather than elaborating here, please consult M. William Krasilovsky and Sidney Shemel’s book, This Business of Music 9^th ed. (New York: Billboard Books, 2003), pages 118-122. Check it out from your local music library or Click Here to purchase the book from Amazon.com.  (I greatly appreciate all of your support when you purchase materials through links on this blog or my Amazon Affiliate store [link]).

Writing original lyrics brings us into the realm of poetry, and in this matter (and others) I am no expert. Poetry, as I understand it, aims to use exactly the right words to convey an idea, an image, or series of ideas and / or images. It may be helpful if the ideas of the lyrics, however many and varied, revolve around a central idea. Choir directors may be more likely to remember your composition and use it – read: purchase copies for their choir - if it contains a central idea or a memorable key phrase.

In our post-modern times, however, lyrics need not be comprehensible, i.e. “make sense,” when considered together. The lyrics may be loosely organized if not completely unrelated. Such juxtaposition allows the audience or congregation to construct his or her own meaning out of the text. However, in my understanding, such lyrics would constitute an element of “contemporary” church music given the “contemporary” nature of postmodernism, and may not, therefore, be suitable in a more “traditional” church environment. This, yet again, goes back to the theology of the church. Need I say more on the value of consultation, not only with performers but also with those who commission us?       

There is so much more that could be said on this topic and related topics, but I fear this post is already getting long. Please continue the discussion with your comments below.