What about Church Music?
by Dr. Stanley M. Horton Th.d
(An update of a paper I wrote in 1943)
Over time people get stuck in particular ways of
worship.
In non-Christian religions the forms become sacred and the
ritual and music fixed.
Christianity, as it lost its spiritual power, fell into the
same rut,
and produced such things as the Roman Catholic Mass.
But the spiritual power of the Christian Church could never
remain dormant. It
has constantly reasserted itself and brought
with it new expressions of worship in word and song.
Naturally, hymns that have blessed us in the past will be
cherished and newer music not always be appreciated. I
imagine that lovers of Gregorian chant were horrified when
hymns became popular in worship. And I feel quite certain
that many were sure that those "frivolous little
ditties," as
they were called by his contemporaries, but which Watts (early
church song writer) and his friends called hymns, could
never
replace their beloved metrical Psalms which were so stately
and worshipful. We
are seeing that the gospel hymn is
changing in the same way.
There is no doubt that change is the rule in the music of a
living Christian church.
I think there is a reason. Real
Christianity can use the best from the past but it should
never
become lost in the encrustments of time. The power of the
Holy Spirit keeps it a living, vital thing, and keeps it a
religion of the heart instead of focusing on the externals.
Here, I think, we have the secret. Whatever reaches the heart,
touches every part.
Christianity reaches into all of life and
becomes a part of everything we do. And because Christianity
is so closely interwoven with experience, its expression
changes and is molded to fit the needs of the time even
though
its basic Truth does not change.
Back in the eleventh and twelfth century came the type of
song
called the discantus.
Two sets of words and tunes were
adapted to each other.
It created a pleasing effect and did much
to raise the interest in music. In fact, it was so popular that
there weren't enough of the old religious tunes; so they
took
folk songs, secular music, and set religious words to
them.
They did not bother to adapt the music of the secular piece
to
the atmosphere of the church. Due to their nature, they could
not last, and it would seem that they were merely a passing
blotch on the history of music. However, they were from the
experience and lives of the people, as folk music really is.
Once church music had touched the lives of the people, it was
hard for them to remain unmoved. We owe much of the rapid
progress of measured and harmonic music from that time on
to this "secular" influence.
Church music will live only as it touches the lives and
meets
the needs of the people.
There is some music that has come
out of a deep and timeless human experience. That will
remain. Much of the
rest will only remain as it continues to
fill a need in the lives of the people. Just what is permanent
of contemporary music would be extremely difficult to say.
John Wesley wrote hundreds of songs and set them to all kinds of
music to share Bible truth and worship God. Luther and Wesley
could not have predicted which of their hymns would endure
(and they all wrote a lot of hymns that did not endure),
and it is probable that those which did the greatest service
in their day are now forgotten.
music to share Bible truth and worship God. Luther and Wesley
could not have predicted which of their hymns would endure
(and they all wrote a lot of hymns that did not endure),
and it is probable that those which did the greatest service
in their day are now forgotten.
Today's choruses, which are sung because of the easy way to
learn a message and a catchy tune, fit in the lives of
people
and are a part of the atmosphere of this age of speed and
communication.
We must use the best of today's music to reach and teach the
people. We must use
the best of the past and present for
heartfelt worship of God.
