Editing Religious music (section)

==Christian music==
{{main|Church music|Christian music}}
According to some scholars, the earliest music in the [[Christian Church]] came from Jewish worship music, with some additional [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriac]] influence.{{sfn|Conomos|2003}} It is believed that this music lay somewhere between singing and speaking, or speaking with an understood ritual cadence.<ref>Foley 2008,{{Page needed|date=September 2012}}.</ref> However, there is another opinion that the roots of early [[Christian music]] come from the early ascetic monastic orders.<ref>Taruskin and Gibbs 2013, p.&nbsp;9.</ref>

===Hymns===
{{See|Hymnody of continental Europe}}
Christian music has diversified over time, reflecting both its centuries-old roots as well as more contemporary musical styles. Thousands of traditionally-styled songs of praise or worship, called "[[hymns]]" (from the Greek word ''hymnos'' meaning, "song of praise"), were written over hundreds of years. Eventually, these songs were compiled into books called "hymnals", from which pastors and [[wikt:congregant|congregant]]s would read during Christian services – a practice that continues in many churches today.

Prior to the eighteenth century, Christian hymnals were published as standalone texts without accompanying musical scores. The first American hymnal with both text and song was published in 1831. In Europe, the [[Anglican church music#History|Church of England]] did not officially allow hymns to be sung until 1820. Originally, hymns were sung by "[[lining out]]" the [[lyrics]], meaning, the pastor would sing a line, and then the congregation would repeat it. This was done because, at that time, books were expensive, so it was economical to provide the pastor of a church with one copy from which everyone could sing.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Townsend |first1=James |title=The Golden Age of Hymns: Did You Know? |magazine=Christianity Today |date=1991 |issue=31 |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-31/golden-age-of-hymns-did-you-know.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 February 2019 |archive-date=20 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220063209/https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-31/golden-age-of-hymns-did-you-know.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Christian Music in the Modern Era===
[[File:Cute tribal chak girl singing bangla song adorably.webm|thumb|right|Tribal [[Chak people|Chak]] child in [[Bangladesh]] is singing Christian children song in [[Bengali language|Bangla]].]]
Modern methods of publication have made hymnals much more accessible to the public today than previously. The practice of "lining out" the lyrics of hymns has therefore largely fallen away, although it continues to be practiced in some traditional churches. In the twentieth century, Christian music has developed to reflect the emergence of a diverse array of [[musical genres]] including rock, [[Metal music|metal]], pop, [[jazz]], [[Contemporary Christian music|contemporary]], [[rap]], [[Spiritual music|spiritual]], [[Country music|country]], [[blues]], and [[Gospel music|gospel]]. The use of specific genres and styles of music in church services today varies across [[List of Christian denominations|Christian denominations]] and according to the personal preference of pastors and church members. As of the late twentieth century, there has been a widespread preference in less traditional churches towards using contemporary music (particularly, "[[Praise and Worship music|praise and worship]]" songs, which attempt to preserve the religious intent of hymns but use contemporary lyrics and a more modern musical sound instead) as well as gospel and spiritual music.