Music Religion

The relationship between music and religion in our culture is quite complex, in my experience, and can be approached from endless angles. For the purpose of this assignment, I will look at music's use and purpose in the church I attended in my youth, as well as it's aesthetic influence.

Growing up, I attended an Episcopal church on most Sunday mornings and sang in their youth choir. The music used in the services, accompanied only by an organ, was sang straight out of the soft, burgundy hymnal by congregation and choir. To shorten the description, it is pretty standard, traditional “church-y” music, and it was beautiful to my young ears. All of the hymns were chosen according to which part of the Liturgical year we were in; there were precessional, offertory, recessional hymns as well as between sermons and each consisted of text either from the Bible or newly composed. Also, of course, we have special services that require copious amounts of special music, particularly around Easter and Christmas times. 

For us, hymns are used as a way for the entire church body to heighten their personal connection with God by uniting their voices, lifting them to the creator for His heavenly digestion. From a very early age, I envisioned our congregational singing providing nourishment to God, sort of as one culture may make an animal sacrifice out of love for their gods. The entire church body singing together (good, bad, and certainly some ugly) served as a pretty massive “thank you” for all that we had been given. (I don’t think most of the Episcopalian church believes that God eats our songs, but I think you’ll get what I mean.) Also, because a lot of the text used is Bible verse set to music, hymns give us an opportunity to remember and enhance the meaning of God’s words.

For me, the best part of hymn singing isn’t the congregation lifting their voice in thanks to God. Instead, I cherish those moments when it feels that God is sending his love to us, through the voices of one another. Like the Native American peoples we are studying, I believe that, too, is cyclical. That is enough to send shivers straight to places you weren’t aware you could receive them. 

Historically, the traditional music of the Christian faith has had a major impact on what is considered “aesthetically pleasing” as it formed the basis of the tonal system all those years ago. Its pan consonant tendency, the taboo of the augmented fourth, and typical Picardy third all give music of the traditional Christian church a sort of cliché that has been passed around to music of all genres of the Western Art world. On a more personal level, the music of my churchly youth has influenced the music that I find enjoyable today. The optimistic, loved feel I received from hymns of my childhood still flows through the air of my dorm room. 

Unless I’m doing melodic dictation, of course.