What Is 'Holy Scripture ~ Alive With Sounds of Music' by Dr. Calvin Taylor?

Updated

"Holy Scripture ~ Alive With Sounds of Music" is a 45-minute worship program by pianist Dr. Calvin Taylor that combines spoken scripture passages with piano solos and congregational singing. It is designed for a church worship service, has been presented in hundreds of churches across America, and can be scheduled by contacting Dr. Taylor through the Concerts page of calvintaylormusic.org.

What the Program Involves

The format moves through a sequence of scripture readings followed by instrumental and congregational music, functioning as what the site describes as a "sermon in songs." Three elements make up the core of the presentation:

  • Scripture passages — read aloud as the narrative spine of the service
  • Piano solos — improvised and arranged responses to the readings
  • Congregational singing — active participation by the church body, which the site highlights as a particular strength of Dr. Taylor's approach

The stated aim is to inspire worship and draw the congregation into the music rather than present a passive performance.

How It Differs From the Evening Concert

The site describes two distinct formats, and the distinction matters if you are deciding which to request:

Holy Scripture ~ Alive With Sounds of Music Evening Concert
Length 45 minutes 75 minutes
Setting Church worship service Formal concert presentation
Content Scripture readings, piano solos, congregational singing Hymns, spirituals, classics, patriotic music
Audience role Participatory Listening-focused

If your goal is to build the program into an existing worship service, the 45-minute scripture format is the one designed for that. If you want a standalone evening event, the concert format is the alternative.

What Churches Have Said

A testimonial on the site from a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregation describes the program as "truly an inspiration and introduction to grow in our awareness of the many ways we can worship the Living God," and notes that Dr. Taylor is "particularly effective in having the congregation participate in worship." That emphasis on participation is consistent with how the program is described in the site's own summary.

Background on Dr. Taylor

The site notes that Dr. Taylor has been in full-time music ministry for more than 35 years, touring as a performer, arranger, and composer. He has an unusually large hand span of over 1½ octaves, which allows him to produce sounds that would normally require four hands — a detail relevant to the piano arrangements you would hear in either format.

His published works include Spirituals for Piano, The Patriotic Piano, Spiritual Suite for Organ, Grand Spirituals Collection, Resounding Piano Praise!, and Five Spirituals for Organ, covering piano, organ, orchestra, and choir arrangements.

How to Schedule the Program

The site directs anyone interested in scheduling a worship service to the Concerts page. If you are considering this for your church, the practical steps are:

  1. Go to calvintaylormusic.org and open the Concerts page.
  2. Use the contact information there to inquire about scheduling.
  3. Specify that you are requesting the "Holy Scripture ~ Alive With Sounds of Music" worship format rather than the evening concert, since the two have different lengths and setups.

The site does not publish pricing, availability windows, or geographic restrictions, so those details would need to come from direct contact.