The Moravian Church is known for its deep love and appreciation of music, which has been a central part of its worship and community life for centuries. Moravians have always considered music a necessity of life, not a luxury. As such, music pervades Moravian religion, daily life, and traditions.
Moravians have always used music to express our faith in worship, to communicate our faith to others, and to enjoy each other’s company, and continue to do so today. Moravian music is often characterized by its beauty, simplicity, and spiritual depth.
The Moravian musical heritage is alive and well in today’s Moravian Church, with lively congregational singing, instrumental choirs and bands, vocal choirs, music education, and community musical groups. Moravian composers, and music continues to be a necessity of life.
Music In Worship
Congregational singing has always been a core part of Moravian worship. Inspired by Jan Hus’s encouragement of singing in the language of the people, the Unitas Fratrum published the first hymnal for congregational singing in 1505. Over the centuries Moravians have continued to add to a rich and unique liturgical and musical tradition.
Our theology is most easily found in our hymn lyrics, and we are one of the few denominations that still sings hymns in four–part harmony. We certainly do love the traditional hymns that are part of our heritage, but we use more contemporary music in worship as well.
We realize that God speaks to each of us differently, and our worship seeks to reflect that. We believe music is a way to bring joy and unity to the community.
The beauty of the Moravian liturgical service frequently receives favorable comment from visitors. The Moravian Church provides full liturgies to cover the entire church year, including separate and special liturgies for each season of the church year. A distinctive feature of the Moravian liturgy is the interspersal of hymns or chorales between the prayers and affirmations. Frequently there is antiphonal singing between a soloist or the choir and the congregation.
Moravians are probably one of the few Churches that can organize an entire service on singing only. Known as the Singstunde, the congregation sings a series of hymns or stanzas of hymns that have been chosen carefully by the minister and put together to convey a specific devotional theme. The musical structure of two beloved Moravian services are outgrowths of the Singstunde: our lovefeasts and our way of celebrating Holy Communion.
Education in musical instruments has also been an important part of our tradition. Few Moravian congregations would feel complete without a brass choir or band to play occasional preludes to services, or to accompany the singing during special services.
Moravian congregations have also adopted other instruments for worship in various parts of the country and the world, including guitars, string instruments like violins and the cello, steel drums, timpani, and harp. Handbell choirs are a welcome addition to many music programs.
Composing Music
Moravians have been enthusiastic composers as well. Of the music written by Moravian composers, by far the greater portion is what today is called “sacred” — anthems and solos for liturgical use. However, they did copy and collect thousands of works, vocal and instrumental, by their contemporaries, for use in worship and in the life of the community.
Names such as Christian Gregor, Johann Christian Bechler, James Montgomery, Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf and Johannes Herbst are well known in Moravian musical history. Modern-day Moravians, such as Brian Henkelmann, Nola Reed Knouse, Dirk French, Jill Bruckart (our former Director of Music), and our current Director of Music Ministry, Ryan Morrow, continue to compose for the church repertoire, and hymn–writing continues to be a feature of Moravian worship and witness.
Music At Schoeneck
Our music ministry has always been an integral part of the life of the Schoeneck congregation. Our modest–size church family has always excelled in glorifying God with our musical talents. The vocal choirs, bell choirs, brass choir, instrumentalists and soloists provide a variety of music that enriches the worship experience. Our music program offers opportunities for all ages to serve God through fellowship and spiritual expression.
Whether it is an instrumental piece, an organ prelude, a choir anthem, a congregational hymn, ringing of handbells, or traditional chorales played by our Brass Choir before worship, our services would not be complete without music being included.
Schoeneck Moravian Church is fortunate to have a wonderful music program that includes a large number of participants. We take great pride in sharing music that enhances our worship services throughout the year and — most importantly — glorifies God through music.
We have a long tradition of presenting the many musical gifts of our members (and special guests) to enrich our worship. Come enjoy the inspiring sounds offered every week — through one of the various choir or instrument ensembles, special music, or other performances. Those involved in the music ministry are grateful for the opportunity to praise God through the beauty of sacred music. Our choirs and ensembles are open to anyone and include a wide range of skill sets and ages.
For more information about Schoeneck’s music programs, please click through the next few pages or contact Ryan Morrow, Director of Music Ministry.
Schoeneck Music Program CD
In 2018, our Director of Music Ministries, Ryan Morrow, led our music program in the recording of a CD called “Sing Hallelujah! Moravian Hymns for the Church Year — The Choirs of Schoeneck Moravian Church”. The CD, which was recorded live in Schoeneck’s sanctuary in May and June 2018, includes choral hymns, brass and organ performances for Advent Sunday, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Holy Week, and more throughout the church year. It also includes the complete audio liturgy (both readings and hymns) for Easter Sunday.
Proceeds from the sale of this CD are used to support the music programs of Schoeneck Moravian Church. All musicians who participated in the recording were active congregation members in Schoeneck’s music program. The recording and production of the CD was paid for by Memorial Funds in memory of David and Jeanne Gower. David was a beloved member of Schoeneck’s choir for over 30 years. For more information about the CD, or to purchase your own copy, please click here to open the Interprovincial Board of Communications store.
Moravian Music Foundation
The Moravian Music Foundation (MMF) was founded in 1956 to preserve, study, edit, and publish the music retained in the Archives of the Moravian Church in America, including some 10,000 manuscripts and early imprints of vocal and instrumental music, sacred and secular, from the sixteenth through twenty-first centuries. MMF is responsible for many first modern-day performances of music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The Foundation publishes vocal and instrumental music, produces recordings, sponsors the quadrennial Moravian Music Festivals, and serves as a resource for church musicians, scholars, performers, and students worldwide. To learn more about the Moravian Music Foundation, please visit their website.
The Moravian Music Foundation shares its Musical Moments Newsletter with supporters to announce events, classes, and concerts, to inform them about the work of the Foundation, inspire them to participate in musical and educational opportunities, and engage them in a partnership to support MMF’s mission and purpose. To receive this electronic newsletter, please click here.
The Unitas Chorale
The Northern and Southern Provinces both have performance choirs that Moravians (and non-Moravians!) can join, sponsored by the Moravian Music Foundation. These choirs rehearse and perform Moravian music and other music complementary to it — perhaps music by composers the Moravians knew and loved, or music written on Moravian tunes or texts.
Formed in 1996, the Unitas Chorale in the Lehigh Valley provides an opportunity both for the performance of selections from the archival collections and newly written Moravian music. New singers are always welcome! There is no audition required to join. Simply speak to the director or a member of the chorale and join in.
Unitas rehearsals are held January through April at College Hill Moravian Church (72 West Laurel Street in Bethlehem) on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of the month.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Some information on this page has been taken from the Moravian Church in America website. Copyright © 2010-2025, Interprovincial Board of Communications, Moravian Church in America. All Rights Reserved.
Some information on this page has been taken from the Moravian Music Foundation website. Copyright © 2025, The Signal Company. All Rights Reserved.
Some information on this page is from “Moravian Moment #131” written by Rev. Dr. Cortroy Jarvis, September 6,2009. Copyright © 2025 The Moravian Church – Eastern West Indies Province. All Rights Reserved.
Some information on this page is from “Moravian Moment #137 — Singstunde: A Moravian Song Service” written by Rev. Dr. Cortroy Jarvis, October 18, 2009. Copyright © 2025 The Moravian Church – Eastern West Indies Province. All Rights Reserved.