Music was an ever-present part of my childhood in the Presbyterian
church. Though I am no longer religious, the church provided a valuable
community in which I learned so much about music.
In church services, music was approached in a relatively traditional
way. The choir would sing hymns with the congregation as well as prepare a work
called an anthem which they sang alone. The majority of the time, the only instrumental
accompaniment was the organ. We sang very little modern music; it was a very traditional
service. In the service, the music served different purposes depending on where
it fell in the predetermined program. There were hymns for collective worship
of God as well as solo organ or piano music. This instrumental music always
opened and closed the service. It was also used during the service to aid in “opening
hearts and minds” for the worship of God. This is one of my favorite parts of
the service. How often do we pause, listen, and introspect? I think that music
as a vehicle for this kind of self-examination and intention-setting is a wonderful
concept.
I was involved in a children’s choir based in the same
church for most of my childhood. We sang sacred music, and it was always very
important that we understood the meaning behind what we sang. The music
directors consistently took time to explain the significance and biblical
relevance of the music. Additionally, they often reiterated their
belief that our voices and talents were gifts from God, and therefore we should
use them to worship him. This was a very prevalent theme throughout my childhood
in the church.
Though I am not religious, my experiences with church music
are still important to me. Today, with the extreme accessibility of streaming
services, music can be treated as very throw-away. In mainstream culture,
listening to music isn’t always an intentional thing. I am not saying this is
good or bad. That's up to the individual. I am saying that I am thankful for the reverence and respect
for music and performance that I learned in the church. As a musician, I try to
view performance as an act of gratitude and servitude. It is important to me
that I play in a way that is meaningful. I think that, in part, these ideas are
influenced by the religious beliefs I was taught as a young child.
The video below is one of my favorite sacred pieces. It is a hymn traditionally sung around Christmas. The choir at my church did not wear robes as they do, but the arrangement is a lot like something typically sang there.
Our story when we were younger is very similar. I grew up Presbyterian as well and was a part of the children's choir. We didn't sing contemporary much it mostly stuck to traditional hymns as well. The video you linked is very similar to what my church sounded like but our choir was a few less people.
ReplyDeleteMy church did things a little differently to keep the younger generation interested. Instead of Hymns we would often have modern music from bands today. Although in choir for the church we were taught if you do not understand the music and what you are singing then you should not be singing.
ReplyDeleteI can totally imagine this service being so similar to mine, except that it is in a different language in another country. It is so fascinating how music and religion can have so much similarities in any part of this world. Also, I like that you have used the quote "opening hearts and minds" which best describes the powerful impact of songs in worships.
ReplyDeleteMy church often used bass, guitar, piano and more modern instruments to perform music. It usually kept the younger people more engaged. However, there were still many choir songs that were just accompanied by organ and kept more traditional.
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