This is a topic I’ve been reflecting on for awhile now, so while I know it doesn’t fit ideally with the current Thanksgiving motif, I didn’t want to squander these thoughts.
Visiting a church last weekend in Wisconsin, I discovered that I was unable to participate in very much of the singing portion of the service. No, I didn’t have laryngitis, and though I’m typically quite bashful with my fellow congregants on Sunday morning, I am not prevented from my time with the Lord in song…unless I don’t know the song. This isn’t something inherent to visiting a church, sometimes I experience this in my own church. There are times when I can’t participate even a little in some of the songs because I’m given only words by projector, I have no access to any of the musical notation–unless it happens to be in a hymnal, which is rare in my experience.
Petty concern? Perhaps you’re right, maybe it is. But I persist. I recollect as a child that before I knew how to read music, I closely examined the musical notation in the hymnals. Worship was something I was always able to participate in because at the very least, I could follow the directionality of the notes. I knew when to sing higher or lower….and after more experience with the notation, I was able to determine which notes moved faster than others. Once I did learn how to read music, participation became even easier and, in my opinion, more fruitful.
Prior to my interest in theological studies, I was playing the trumpet actively and passionately, to the extent that I was involved in leading instrumentalists on a worship team. When I began my theological studies, I began to ponder the relationship between music and God. For instance, inherent to music is logic. It makes mathematical sense and is as coherent as a grammatically correct sentence. It also manages to speak to our affections, even without lyrics. That doesn’t mean that we will always like or enjoy every manifestation of music, but it does always seem to make sense, even when it doesn’t. Music often enjoys the paradox of being logical and beautiful, and in my case there was the byproduct of helping me learn fractions. I will spare you that particular detail.
My understanding of music history is very weak. I don’t know anything about the history of notation or when it became common to use notation within congregational worship settings. The Psalms, obviously, are full of references to music and worship and the New Testament references the importance of corporate worship and individual participation (Colossians 3:16). But corporate worship requires the involvement of each of us as individuals. I am left to wonder if, not only has the seeker movement or other similar phenomenons proved damaging to the church by adding the hi-tech aspects to worship in order to make it entertaining or friendly, does the inability of the individual to participate reinforce the idea of the worship-performance team?
Are we also raising up generations of young people who may never enjoy the language of music because they are seldom exposed to it in its written form? Will they ever experience God the way generations before them have discovered truth in musical scales, chords, and rhythms often learned through the visual?
These are just some of my thoughts. I’ve been around church for a lot of years, so when I discover that I don’t know some of the more contemporary songs and choruses, I wonder how much more a new believer is in the dark. Not only is there the risk of alienating visitors to a congregation, but the church may even come across as clique-y because of the manner in which worship is portrayed.
November 26th, 2009 | 2:45 am | #1
One of my pet peeves is not having music to read as I sing. Like you, I just can’t participate as well when I can’t see what I’m supposed to be doing. Even when it’s a familiar hymn, if I have only projected words, I find participation more difficult.
But I suspect we are in the minority, and a very small minority, and that most people feel more comfortable singing without a hymnal.
It all makes me a little sad.
November 26th, 2009 | 9:15 am | #2
I have never thought of it that way, in terms you mentioned; though this is one subject that no doubt would open up a varied and lengthy debate on Traditional vs. Contemporary music. You make a valid point but I am afraid that it falls on deaf ears because as the saying goes, “the church is two steps behind the culture” and perhaps even closer aka technology. The thing is, I believe younger people, (let us say 30 and down, okay being modest 40 and down) are flocking to the music worship because it quite simply rocks. The sad thing in this is as you laid out what are they really hearing and understanding logically in a biblical sense. Some of the music these days reminds me of the stuff I use to listen back in the late 60’-70’s & 80’s respectively, same tune different words. The church today in a more contemporary sense is losing its connection with the truth and consequences that the bible teaches. It is not always a smooth easy path to follow; quite honestly a rocky road few will follow when one knows that the blood of the martyrs is the seeds of the church. But that is old school music…
November 26th, 2009 | 11:18 am | #3
I realize I may have implied by this post that we need to revert back to the use of hymnals, which presupposes going back to the more traditional sounds. actually, what I’m arguing for is no matter the style of music in use, please bring back the notation. Yes, a lot of people don’t need it, but I think there are many more people who do.
November 26th, 2009 | 3:17 pm | #4
I suppose that worship in song was not always accompanied by lyrics and/or musical notes (at least before the printing press). I am a musician and can possibly understand the importance of these practical things, though 90% of people would not be helped by musical notation, though they generally appreciate the words.
One thing I find myself teaching our congregation is that worship is much bigger than the PowerPoint (or words printed in any format – paper, hymnal, etc). There is nothing wrong with the provision of the specific words. They are truth and thus good and helpful. But, in the end, I suppose worship is bigger than the printed words. The greatest worship book in Scripture, the Psalms, came out of an overflowing heart. And we know worship is greater than musical accompaniment, though that is also wonderful. Worship is an overflow of the heart.
There was no music or melodic words at the top of Mt Moriah, but we still read Abraham was going up there to worship (Gen 22). I think that is amazing. Worship is, thus, bigger than words and/or musical notation. Therefore, we can enter into the worship relationship with our Father at any point, at any place. I know we know this. But it is a beautiful reminder.
November 26th, 2009 | 3:48 pm | #5
What we need is a worship that combines Deuteronomy 5:24 — experience — with Deuteronomy 6:4-9 — total participation, including the mental faculty, emotion, and me’odekha (“everything you’ve got”). As Sarah points out, our worship needs to be more holistic.
As to the musical notation: having seen powerpoint done both ways, I’ll say it’s harder to read the words on screen in a smaller font since notation takes up room. However, the use of notation can be helpful for sure.
I’d also like to randomly plug for the band, Sons of Korah, who do excellent renditions of the Psalms. Not just the joyous ones, either. I love their versions of Psalms 3, 14, and 51. Look for ‘em on youtube.
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