Music practice within The Salvation Army : its history, significance and relevance in the 21st Century

Blyth, AJ

Abstract

The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Since its inception in 1878 the movement has placed music at the heart of its worship. This thesis examines the development of music within The Salvation Army and how the militaristic ideals of the movement were developed from the founder William Booth’s Methodist
roots and 19th century Christian Militarism. It also explores how a music programme that included brass bands, choirs and a dedicated music publishing house has become a set model that has remained
virtually unchanged since the inception of a Music Department in
1883. These initial implementations were driven not only by William
Booth but also by Richard Slater, a musician converted to The
Salvation Army and tasked to run and shape the movement’s music
policy. I seek to understand how he formed, influenced and led music
publishing and how that still affects Salvation Army music policy.
The challenge for The Salvation Army in this post-modern society is
how these traditional music models can stay relevant without the
need to radically change the direction they have previously taken. The
challenge is particularly strong as The Salvation Army has declined in
number in the United Kingdom since 1914 and has lost many
musicians during this time. This thesis investigates how it can attract
and keep members with relevant music programmes and publishing
that will meet the demands of the 21st century.

Citation

Blyth, A. (in press). Music practice within The Salvation Army : its history, significance and relevance in the 21st Century. (Dissertation). Salford University

• Thesis Type: Dissertation
• Acceptance Date: Jun 19, 2015
• Deposit Date: May 31, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: May 31, 2017
• Additional Information: Funders : School for In-Service Training and Development