Wednesday April 2, 2008
What makes music religious?
A friend handed me a CD – 20 songs by top Christian artists. I was quite eager to hear what kind of music appealed to people these days.
And I have to say, I was disappointed. It sounded like turning on almost any top-40 pop-rock radio station. The music consisted mostly of three chords, and not many more notes, endlessly recycled at high volume.
The words weren\’t much better. None of the songs actually mentioned God or Jesus. Most addressed themselves to a generic “you” — who could, just as easily, be tonight\’s lover in a secular song.
It raises a question for me. What makes music religious?
Another friend attended two worship services while vacationing in Hawaii. One was like the Christian CD – amplified instruments and vocals, pounding rhythms… The other was a small local congregation, where a line of teenagers interpreted the hymns in gentle hula dance.
Which one was more religious?
Is it the title?
Martin Luther salvaged bar tunes and put Christian words to them. Is that enough to transform the melodies into religious music?
Why is almost anything written by Bach considered suitable for playing in church, but hardly anything by Ravel or Tchaikovsky? Granted, Bach wrote many of his pieces specifically for church use – and gave them religious titles – but why is “Jesu, Joy of Man\’s Desiring” religious, and “Air on the G-String” is not?
If Metallica named one of their imitations of a demolition derby after Jesus, would that make it religious?
Probably not. Both “Ave Maria” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb” are about someone named Mary, but they\’re hardly comparable.
Or the words?
I\’ve been to jazz-based worship services. The connection is usually through the words, not the music. The preacher or speaker refers to rain bringing new life to the desert; the players swing into “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head.” Or perhaps “Singin\’ in the Rain.” If you didn\’t know the song\’s title, or some of the words, you\’d see no connection.
If you excised all the words, religious or secular, would the music itself move you to worship God? To praise the creator? To feel compassion for the oppressed, the impoverished, the marginalized?
Some pieces do that for me, just by their melodies and harmonies. Faure\’s “Requiem.” Verdi\’s “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves.” Massenet\’s “Meditation” from Thais.
Even without words, “The Rose” makes me yearn for, well, for something worth yearning for.
But without words, “Onward Christian Soldiers” would sound like any other militaristic march.
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It\’s also worth pursuing Charlene Fairchild\’s United Online site. Another site worth visiting is David Keating\’s \”SeemslikeGod\” page.
The songs on the CD, I would guess, got onto the Christian hit parade because the performers/composers had declared themselves to be Christians. Does the artist\’s religious affiliation become the criterion?
If so, is Gershwin\’s “Rhapsody in Blue” a Jewish song?
Truly great music transcends its origins. Chopin\’s Etudes are more than Polish, Sibelius is more than Finnish.
I remain baffled. If it\’s not the composer, the performer, the title, the words, then what does cause some music to transcend time and culture to touch our imaginations and draw our attention to ultimate realities?
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Copyright © 2007 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups permitted; all other rights reserved.
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