The Bible and Music

I never really thought about this difference , but apparently a defining characteristic of a hymn is the organ and it is not necessarily meant for communal settings outside of a place of practice (or at least that is what I thought the professor said). In my opinion though, I never saw a hymn and song on an equal plane – meaning I always saw the term “song” as an umbrella term in which hymn fell under. Arguing between these differences as the professor said is arbitrary because the lines are blurred so often, especially with contemporary Christian music. We then attempted to categorize a few songs and determined that there was a difference between Christmas Carol and Christmas Song. The latter being more commercialized than the first. In general, I just think that putting each song into a category or bucket is moot, like the professor said music is more of spectrum – like light – it blends rather than having defined lines. In addition, I like the professor’s comment that the only thing categories are useful for is talking about things, but they are not just in one category in reality.

Is a hymn a song? Are hymns old? Are they religious? Is there a definite way to categorize hymns? Google defines a hymn as a “religious song or poem, typically of praise to God or a god.” If you think about it, this definition is actually very broad… anything from a traditional church song to the most recent Christmas song could technically be considered hymns under this definition. I personally would not categorize more recent Christmas music as hymns. While this line is hard to draw, it is also difficult to draw the line between what is contemporary music and what is not… I guess all of this is somewhat of an opinion which can be argued. It will be interesting to hear the examples of contemporary Christian music with biblical allusions that my classmates come up with.

One example mentioned was Hillsong United: “Oceans,” “Here Now,” etc. Hymns were also discussed. Examples of known hymns included “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “Be Thou My Vision,” and “Before The Throne.”

In regards to Christmas carols, are these hymns? If it is in a hymnal, does that make the song for sure a hymn? There is such a wide variety of Christmas songs, and different churches surely include a different variety of Christmas songs/carols in their hymnals. Really, categories in any case are never perfect. It is impossible to perfectly categorize contemporary vs not contemporary or hymn vs not hymn or Christian vs not Christian. This idea of categorizing music also applies to religion. Most religions try to find the right combination of traditions from the past while still incorporating what’s new. This conversation today is really interesting in terms of the intersection of music and the Bible. Also, as discussed last class, this conversation applies to a lot more in life besides just music and the Bible. The concepts we are talking about such as categorization applies in so many different scenarios.

Contemporary Christian music is different the hymns in the sense that it is more similar to more mainstream music in style. The instruments and style of voices resemble a lot of modern rock/pop/rnb songs. Many of these songs will have drums, electric guitars and electric pianos. However, the message is Christian based and is similar to hymns in the sense that they are designed to be sang in the church.

Personally, contemporary Christian music sparks different emotions in me during worship. The slower tempo allows more time for the audience reflect and think during the songs. For example, Hillsong’s song Ocean’s is a contemporary christian music song that instantly comes to mind. Some of the characteristics of this songs are soft, melodic, and repetitive.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=hillsong+oceans&*

Today we discussed some of the distinctions between hymns and different types of music.
Google said a hymn is a religious song typically of praise to God.

While most songs are desired for personal pleasure and enjoyment, hymns also have the purpose of communal singing, for example in a church. Also a distinguishing instrument that is usually in most hymns is the organ. When I think of hymns I think of slower tempo songs that are sang together in church in unison. There are no separate parts between the choir and the audience. It is everyone singing the same verse at the same time. Hymns are designed for the purpose of worship settings.

Examples of Hymns discussed:

Great is Thy Faithfulness (most familiar to me)

Thou My Vision

March 14th, 2017

During Biblical times and through most of history, our world has struggled with the major issue of gender inequality. Music has had the ability to bring about social change in society. For example, we can look back at the 60’s which was a powerful time of change in history. We can listen and refer to music that was made by women in the 60’s and 70’s to see how women’s roles in society were gradually changing. Even in Biblical times women like Mary had songs created from things they said like in (Luke 1:46-55).

March 14th, 2017

During the class we talked about different impacts that music can have on a text. We looked at Luke 1:46-53, and examined a verse that essentially painted a picture of roles being reversed. This verse highlighted that the rich would be made poor, and the strong would be made weak. While the poor would be made rich and the weak would be made strong.Verses like this highlighting the coming of the Messiah have been transformed into songs.
Music has the ability to make a verse or message in a verse a lot more powerful. It also has the ability to deliver messages to people in a way that they are more likely to remember. Catchy songs are easier to recall in the future than just a Bible scripture. For example (all though this is very elementary), when little kids are just beginning to learn their ABC’s they are taught it through a song. Even to this very day, I can still remember the melody of the song even to this very day. This just goes to show the positive impact that music can have on scripture.

Once again, I wanted to share my response on the second event I attended on Mendelssohn’s Elijah:

On Friday, March 17th, I attended Mendelssohn’s Elijah for the 80th anniversary celebration concert for the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. This event was in the Palladium at the Center of the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. Michael Pettry, the executive director, began the event mentioning the fact that it was the 80th anniversary celebration concert and that the Indianapolis symphonic choir was a very established group. Pettry also talked a lot about the endowment for the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, and how it will be used to continue to support performances like Elijah. I am glad to have attended the sneak-peek event at Laurel Hall a month earlier because it gave me such a better sense of how the music in Elijah goes with the story.

The theatre itself was very beautiful. The stage was very well lit and there were very high ceilings. There were also little balconies surrounding the entire theatre, and much of the audience was seated in these boxes. I recognized Eric Stark, the conductor, because he was one of the speakers at Laurel Hall. The performance began with the Chamber Orchestra. I found the music to be very nice and calming. After some time, the Symphonic Choir joined in, and the sound of the voices along with the instruments sounded amazing. Besides the Choir and the Orchestra, there were also several soloists. In the second half, the Children’s Choir was also involved, singing from the back of the theatre at some of the parts.

As I listened and watched the performance, I tried to connect the music with the story of Elijah. At some parts I thought the music connected very well to the story, and at other parts I thought the music was deceiving in regards to the story. At the part where they sing, “Be not afraid!” over and over again, I thought the music was very reassuring which goes along with the story perfectly. At an earlier part the words being sung were rather dark and scary, but the music remained very upbeat and happy. Already having some background on the story from the previous event really helped me to be able to connect the music and the story. I have never really been to an event like this before, but I can honestly say it was a very cool experience.

I already emailed Professor McGrath this response to the first event I attended on Mendelssohn’s Elijah, but I wanted to post it here in case anyone else was interested in what went on at the event.

On February 27th, Haley and I went to the “In-Choir-Ing Minds” event about Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Laurel Hall. When we arrived at Laurel Hall, I was astonished how beautiful the building was, both inside and out. After saying hello to Professor McGrath, we took our seats and waited for the event to start. Michael Sells spoke first and introduced the other speakers, the conductor, and the choir. Eric Stark, speaker and conductor, began by stating that Elijah was one of his favorite pieces because it was a very special and inspiring piece. Also, Elijah was a very interesting and complex character. Stark introduced some of the history of the choir and the piece. It was the 80th anniversary of this choir specifically, and they were performing Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Elijah was composed first in German and then translated to English and performed first in August, 1846. Next, James McGrath explained the biblical background of the story. First, McGrath explained that the story of Elijah was grouped with stories of the prophets, and that Elijah’s role as a prophet was to be an “ambassador of god” and to speak on god’s behalf. McGrath also touched on the various stories in the Bible leading up to the story of Elijah. So, before the choir even started, we had a very good sense of the story and what the music may be trying to portray.

The music started very abruptly and frantically, and the singers voices were amazingly powerful. As the singing went on for a little while, the intensity calmed down slightly, but at the end the music ended very abruptly and urgently, similar to the beginning. The speakers spoke and explained more about the story of Elijah and the music in between each period of singing. The music continued again, this time much more calmly. Each time the choir sang, it was different. I found the singer’s ability to be outstanding. The pieces they sang were very powerful, and definitely evoked emotion as they went along with the story of Elijah.

    Overall, I found the story of Elijah and the performance very impressive. I also thought it was really cool how so many of the other stories we have discussed this semester in class were mentioned and discussed in relation to the story of Elijah. While I admit that I do not consider myself particularly musically talented, I can definitely appreciate the complexity and creativity of the all different kinds of music. In regards to this piece specifically, it was intriguing to learn about the story of Elijah and hear the music sung by the choir that presented the story. At the end of the the event, the performance of Elijah on March 17th was mentioned. I plan on going to the performance of Elijah on March 17th and recommend that others in the class also attend the performance.

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the Hilbert Circle Theatre downtown. While I was originally planning to go because the headliner piece was Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and I knew that Mendelssohn composed “Elijah” and other religious pieces, my plan changed as the concert went on.

Mendelssoh’s Violin Concerto was the opening piece, featuring 19-year-old violin protege Simone Porter. While I found the piece entertaining, there were no Christian undertones in the piece. According to the playbill, Mendelssohn never intended for the piece to be Christian at all. It was merely a challenging and avant-garde concerto for the violin.

The second piece played after the intermission, was inspired by the Bible. This was how my plan for my reflection changed during the event. The piece was Bruckner’s “Symphony No. 7”, which is a 4 part symphony and lasted roughly 45 minutes to an hour. The notes on the piece and the composer said that Bruckner only read 2 books throughout his lifetime; the Bible and Napoleon’s biography. Because of that, his compositions allude to major themes in the Christian religion such as the power and presence of God, which I found in “Symphony No. 7”. I found that the symphony itself did not feel Christian, but I was able to identify different parts of movements that I believe music critics were able to locate as showing signs of religious influence. Part 1 specifically exhibited tones of majesty and power, which I think was alluding to the supernatural power of God. WIth loud beats from the percussion, and major scales by the orchestra, these tones of a grand supernatural being were created. These tones were echoed in the Finale. OVerall, I would conclude that Symphony No. 7 was written more as an artistic symphony instead of a piece of music written for religious use.

Although my assumptions about the performance proved false, my expectations were surpassed because of the history of Bruckner’s style of writing and sources of inspiration. However I do not think I would have found biblical allusions had it not been for the program notes that were provided by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Putting together music for my wedding ceremony has been a bigger job than I expected. Wedding music selection definitely intersects with religious studies because I am having a traditional Catholic mass. The Catholic Church has a strict set of rules when it comes to wedding music. There can be no secular music played at the ceremony, because that is deemed “inappropriate.” There is a pre-selected list you and your future spouse can choose from for response pastorals and music. Brian and I have been working hard with our organist to choose each piece of music so that our wedding abides by the Catholic regulations, as well as expresses our own personalities.

When the attendants walk down the aisle, Trumpet Tune in D by Charpentier will play:

When the Bride (myself) walks down the aisle, Trumpet Tune in D by Johnson will play:

As people file out for the recession, Toccata in F by Widor will play:

My cousin and bridesmaid will be singing the traditional Ave Maria by Schubert during our ceremony as well:

The upcoming weeks we will be practicing walking to the beat of these songs and finding the right rhythm for the atmosphere of the ceremony.