Cantate Domino, hardcover
$24.95
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| 0-9 | 0% | $24.95 |
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$19.95 |
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$18.95 |
Order the spiral-bound edition HERE.
Cantate Domino includes a rich collection of spoken and sung liturgies that promote the True, Good, and Beautiful in corporate worship. Its timeless and historic contents are the result of decades of use in classical Christian schools, as well as surveys of more than one hundred schools to find and compile the best material from their respective traditions. The book represents one of the greatest strengths of classical Christian education: its emphasis on the integration of historic, orthodox Christianity through theology, literature, and the arts. The selections in this book span many centuries of church history, from the early church to the present day. Some selections are complex, others are simple, but all are intended to be immediately useful and sensitive to a school’s calendar and sacred seasons: Scripture readings, prayers, creeds, call-outs/sound-offs, rounds and canons, chanted psalms, and a broad selection of hymns that school leaders will use daily in their assemblies or chapel/Cantabile services.
The book itself is beautifully typeset and bound in a dark blue cloth hard cover with gold foil stamping. Its sewn binding is durable, and it lays flat when opened. It is adorned on the cover with an image of an empty tomb, symbolizing the hope of the resurrection in our Lord.
About the Editor
Preston Atwood (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is the head of school at Westminster Academy in Memphis, TN, and a coach and mentor to several classical Christian start-ups. He loves music and literature and especially the integration thereof, as reflected in the release of his piano album, Fusing Canons (2024), which includes fifteen original piano compositions that depict scenes, characters, and themes from the Great Books. He also has a passion for the ancient world and classical languages, as can be seen in his book, Translating a Translation: An Indirect Translation Approach to the Relationship of LXX-Isaiah to Peshiṭta-Isaiah (Brill, 2024). Preston is married to Emily and has eight kids, all of whom love making music, reading, and exploring the outdoors.
Endorsements
Every classical Christian school has found itself in search of rich, liturgical resources that not only align with our classical Christian tradition, but can be used in a variety of worship settings. Look no more! Dr. Atwood’s Cantate Domino is a thoughtful, versatile collection of prayers, hymns, and spiritual songs that help shape the hearts of every young person in your school.
Eric Cook, Ed.S.
President, Society for Classical Learning
In addition to reviving and preserving the study of the Great Books, teaching through the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, and instilling virtue in their students, classical Christian schools have brought back to Christian education a renewed focus on the creeds, prayers, liturgies, and hymns of the church universal.
Preston Atwood’s well-conceived liturgical songbook provides just the right resource to enable and empower schools to invite their students into a dual dialogue with the Triune God and with the last two millennia of Christians. I highly recommend it for classical Christian schools across the country.
Louis Markos, Ph.D.
Professor in English and scholar in Residence at Houston Christian University; author of The Myth Made Fact and From Plato to Christ
As the head of a new classical Christian school, I am inspired by the transformative power of communal worship facilitated by Dr. Atwood’s amazing compilation. Witnessing the impact of classical Christian education on students, faculty, and visitors alike, I recognize the need for a comprehensive liturgical resource tailored to our educational goals and ethos. Those of us launching classical Christian schools have a common thirst for a songbook like Cantate Domino. It is the perfect guide for enriching our students’ spirituality and developing their aesthetic literacy. Guided by principles of endurance, accessibility, elegance, and practicality, Cantate Domino stands as a testament to a commitment to nurturing the hearts and minds of our community through the timeless truths of the Gospel.
Eric Stennett, Ed.D.
Head of School, Penn Woods Classical Academy
Pittsburgh, PA
This song and liturgy book is well-tailored for classical Christian schools and allows the Christian community to dive into a rich tapestry of tradition. These timeless hymns, psalms, and carefully curated liturgical texts foster a deep connection to faith and learning. The invaluable resources in this text will enhance the formational mission of your school.
Timothy Dernlan, Ed.D.
Vice President, ACCS
In the Christian worldview, beauty is the essential accompaniment to truth and goodness. This hymnal offers a bracing dose of all three and is thus a welcome resource for classical Christian schools everywhere.
George Grant, Ph.D.
Pastor of Parish Presbyterian Church
Founder of Franklin Classical School
Music is central to the flourishing of classical Christian education. Indeed, few things are more directly linked to both the heart of classical education and our Christian commitment. As one of the liberal arts, music should be a pillar of a truly classical education, and nothing captures the faith and practice of the historic Church quite like music.
The collection of hymns and liturgies in Cantate Domino demonstrates this commitment to the classical and Christian tradition. The breadth of selections from various traditions, the depth of content selected for inclusion, and the overall design make Cantate Domino the perfect resource for classical Christian schools ready to introduce or deepen their liturgical and musical culture.
Kyle Rapinchuk, Ph.D.
The Classical Thistle
Classical Christian schools are often known for their commitment to beautiful music, theologically rich prayers, and sound-offs that help shape the virtue and habits of students. These distinctions take time and effort to cultivate and develop. Cantate Domino is a welcome resource for classical Christian schools. Administrators and teachers will be richly blessed by having one resource that provides a beautiful integration of hymns, psalms, prayers, recitations, and sound-offs. Preston Atwood’s passion for music, love of the Scriptures, attention to detail, and expansive knowledge of the needs of classical Christian schools lends to the invaluable nature of this resource.
Rich Halloran, Ph.D.
Head of School, Providence Classical School
Spring, TX
Testimonials from School Users
Cantate Domino is the resource we knew we needed but couldn’t find the time to create. Dr. Atwood has provided to the classical Christian renewal a formational collection of rich, time-tested resources for historic Christian worship that shapes our students, faculty, and parents by directing the streams of their thoughts and affections in the channels of the Gospel, sound doctrine, and beautiful expressions of our relationship with God. In an ecumenical setting, Cantate Domino has been a resource that all of our families from every Christian tradition have happily embraced. Used as our primary guide for Lauds, our morning worship, Cantate Domino is framing all that we do every day, calling our community to our joyful pursuit of goodness, truth, and beauty, and submitting our community to Christ daily.
Paul Fisher
Head of School, Capstone Classical Academy, Fargo, ND
Our school was seeking a resource to help shape the worship and liturgy of our school day, and Cantate Domino has become exactly that-an essential part of the cultural fabric of daily life at The Wilberforce School.
Cantate Domino draws our community together not only in corporate worship, but also in cultivating a shared love for what is true, good, and beautiful as expressed through song, Scripture, and catechism. Each morning, God’s truth is instilled in the hearts and minds of our students through the liturgies, prayers, and hymns carefully curated within Cantate Domino, connecting them to generations of Christians who have come before them.
Because loves and desires are formed over time, we are deeply grateful for the habits and affections that Cantate Domino helps shape and establish within our community-a love for God, His Word, His world, and His people. Sing to the Lord!
Jennia Axelson
Head of School Elect, The Wilberforce School
Princeton, NJ
We use the Cantate Domino three times a week in our morning assembly. It is important that we start our day in the Logic School rooted in truth and focused on God. We especially enjoy the creeds and responsive Scripture readings. The hymns and metrical Psalms offer great variety for every season and purpose. The faculty reflect how much they enjoy beginning the day saying and singing truth with their students. Our students have learned how to carefully open and close the hardbound books and we store them on a cart to ensure many years of use. We have noticed a significant change in decorum and reverence among our students through using Cantate Domino.
Erin Lutz
Head of Logic School, Geneva Academy, Boerne, TX
For many years, I’ve wished for a school hymnal which would assist us in our worship, catechesis, and instruction. Cantate Domino is that hymnal. Our faculty begin each morning in our school lobby with hymns and prayers taken from Cantate Domino. About an hour later, our oldest students begin their day in Lauds accompanied by Cantate Domino, and then the books are taken from class to class throughout the rest of the day. Our grammar school students keep the books in the classroom and use them throughout the day, and bring them to weekly Convocation times with our oldest students. One of our Board members, to whom we gifted a copy, has used it as a bedside devotional for him and his wife. Cantate Domino has been a marvelous addition to our school’s life this year. Worth every penny.
Matt Beatty
Head of School, Bloomfield Christian School; Board Member, ACCS
Providence Classical School recently began using Cantate Domino: A Liturgical Songbook for Classical Christian Schools by Preston Atwood, and it has already become a meaningful part of our school culture. We began using this instantly as a resource for faculty meetings, and its usage has steadily grown into something much richer: a shared language of prayer, song, and worship that is shaping both our community life and our daily habits.
We first introduced the songbook during our weekly employee devotionals, where it has helped ground our time together in Scripture, hymnody, and prayer. From there, it naturally found its way into our Upper School assemblies and into individual classrooms throughout the school. One of the most encouraging aspects of the book is its accessibility. Teachers have been able to incorporate portions of it organically into the rhythm of the school day without it feeling forced or artificial.
The feedback from our faculty has been deeply encouraging. One of our second-grade teachers shared, “I use it almost every day for a few call and responses with my second graders. I love it!” Another teacher described how the book unexpectedly became a bridge across generations within her own family:
“I bought this book for my home and my father in Georgia the same day you introduced it to the faculty. This book is a valuable tool that my girls use to connect with their grandfather so many miles away. At least once a week, they call and read a prayer with him to start his day and their day. I love the fact that they can experience and learn liturgical prayers and hymns. It is shaping their approach to prayer and how they can express their faith in word and song.”
That testimony captures something important about Cantate Domino. This is not merely a collection of songs and prayers. It is a formative tool. It helps cultivate habits of worship, reverence, gratitude, and participation in the historic practices of the Christian faith. In a classical Christian school, where we seek to shape not only the intellect but also the loves and affections of our students, resources like this matter deeply.
What we appreciate most is that the songbook is intentionally crafted for the life of a classical Christian school. It provides a framework that is both rich and usable. Whether in faculty meetings, classrooms, assemblies, or homes, it helps unite communities around truth, beauty, and worship.
We are still in the early stages of implementing it schoolwide, but already Cantate Domino has become more than a book on a shelf. It has become part of the rhythm of our community life.
Rich Halloran
Head of School, Providence Classical School, Spring, TX
Sample Pages
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