Christian Composers (Music History)

  • Duration: 15 Weekly 60-min. Discussions
  • Schedule: Fall 2026
  • Price: $250 per person or $500 per family
Videoconference Live Sessions
  • Thursdays, 2:00–3:00 p.m. CT
  • August 20–December 17 (15 sessions, plus breaks on Oct. 8 and Nov. 26 and a catch-up session as needed on Dec. 17)
Objective

To understand the methods of “theological text painting” employed by Christian musical composers from Middle Ages to the present, with a special emphasis upon Lutheran composers from the Reformation through the nineteenth century.

Required Books
  • No purchases required.
  • The instructor will provide handouts at no additional cost.
Outline

Sessions may feature these and similar composers:

  1. Introduction to Christian composers
  2. Gregorian Chant
  3. Martin Luther
  4. Johann Crüger
  5. Michael Praetorius
  6. Johann Pachelbel
  7. Philipp Nicolai
  8. Johann Sebastian Bach: Chorales
  9. Johann Sebastian Bach: Cantatas
  10. Georg Friedrich Händel
  11. Joseph Haydn
  12. Johannes Eccard
  13. Felix Mendelssohn
  14. Ludvig Mathias Lindeman
  15. Modern Chorale-Style Composers
Instructor

Miss Rose MacPherson has studied both classical and ecclesiastical Latin through a combination of homeschooling, a private high school, and college course work. She regularly reads from the Vulgate for her personal devotions. She plays piano, organ, and trumpet, and enjoys composing and arranging Lutheran hymns. She also teaches piano.

Our Unique Approach

  • Supporting families in lifelong learning
  • Offering interactive live sessions through small-audience videoconferencing
  • Teaching according to the classical pursuit of goodness, truth, and beauty
  • Cultivating the values of Western civilization: natural law, cardinal and theological virtues, Socratic questioning, syllogistic reasoning
  • Promoting the ideals of America’s founding: representative government and the rule of law for protecting people’s God-given rights to life, liberty, and property
  • Standing on the foundation of the historic Christian faith as taught in Holy Scripture and confessed in the ecumenical creeds and Augsburg Confession
  • Training homeschool students in specified subjects, with the parent ensuring that the child stays on pace (“Did you finish your reading for tomorrow’s videonconference live session?”) while Lifelong Lyceum handles the details of instruction and assessment
 

Final Call for Fall 2026 Registration

For our Natural Childbirth Class, registration is available now by clicking here.

For all other courses, please browse our catalog of offerings and click here to pre-register. (Lifelong Lyceum will reserve your seat as availability permits and send you an invoice to complete your registration.)

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Testimonials

Marie MacPherson is an exceptional educator whose passion makes the material engaging, and her calm, kind demeanor has encouraged my son to enjoy and actively participate in class. Most importantly, her instruction is firmly rooted in Scripture and our Lutheran faith. We are blessed to have found Marie and could not have asked for a better experience.

—Natalie, Georgia

Dr. Ryan MacPherson does an excellent job using the Socratic method to lead his students toward goodness, truth, and beauty. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from his teaching.

—Douglas, Montana