What about Style?

Okay, so on October 15, my entry about what we do at our Worship Workshops, I stated:

"The thing we try to stay away from is style. Our style may not be that particular fellowship's style and we don't want to put up any walls because of it. I'll get into musical styles in worship at a later date."

Well, it's a later date and I've had someone recently bugging me about when I was going to follow up -- so here goes...

Style is sometimes a controversial topic when referring to worship music. There are viewpoints all across the spectrum -- from those who believe that only instruments which are mentioned in the Bible should be used to those who use trance music in rave-style worship experiences. So where do I stand?

In a moment. Let me preface this by saying that the following is my opinion. I won't presume to present pure fact, but theory based upon what I have discovered in my own studies. It may be true or I may be wrong. One day we will know in full. Also, don't expect me to bring up every bit of Scripture that has to do with worship. That would just be too cumbersome.

Alright, so let's go back about 6 millennia. As languages are growing and changing within the various cultures after God gifted them with different tongues, music in different parts of the world is developing on parallel paths as well. In the Far East a tonal and rhythmic system is developing independent of what is happening in, say, North America, South America or Africa. Unique Music is even developing in the area of the Middle East from where the nation of Israel will arise.

So God calls Abram and he becomes a worshiper. There is no canonized narrative giving instruction on the tonalities or rhythmic structures that are appropriate for worship.

Fast forward to Jacob, when Laban, his father-in-law speaks of music on tambourines and harps at a celebration that never took place. Nothing to do with worship here, just a family gathering. There are several more Old Testament instances of these and other instruments being used in a secular setting.

Fast forward to Moses when he receives the Law from the Almighty. There are very specific instructions regarding the ways and means of worship, sacrifice, diet, etc., etc., etc. This is the Old Covenant given to Israel. Musical stye and instrumentation are neither one mentioned here.

Fast forward to David dispensing roles for leading worship. He asks the leaders of the Levites to appoint players of lyres, harps and cymbals, and Kenaniah is put in charge of the singing. Wait, aren't these the same instruments used in the secular music of the day? And David makes no indication that these instruments are the only instruments to be used, at the exclusion of all others. In fact, shortly after this, we see that someone has brought along rams' horns and trumpets. "Hey, who said you could play those in worship!?!"

Fast forward to New Testament times. Sorry, no record of what instrumentation was used in worship during this period. This is why certain denominations have made it a rule in their congregations to have no instruments. Still nothing to say regarding musical style either.

Fast forward to Pope Gregory and the time period when the chant was all the rage. Monophonic vocal music (only one note at a time -- no harmony) was considered to be the purest form of music and the only music appropriate for use in worship. When some miscreant decided it might sound nice to add a little harmony here and there, he was considered a heretic. Once polyphony (music with harmony) became the norm, there was one interval to avoid at all cost. (For those of you without any musical background who have no idea what an interval is, it is simply the distance between two notes.) What is very interesting about this is the fact that this particular interval, called "the devil's interval", is found in many of the hymns in use in churches today and in most "traditional Gospel" songs. Hmmm.

Another interesting point -- many hymns from the 19th century used sacred poetry set to secular tunes such as military marches, love songs and even murder ballads.

So today we have certain groups who feel that any instrument that is not used in worship in the Bible should not be used in worship. They seem to justify the use of the organ by saying that the organ is mentioned in the Bible. I'm really pretty sure that we're not talking about the same instrument. (After all the ducimer is mentioned in the Bible, but it appears to be a wind instrument, whereas today it is a stringed instrument.) I'm also curious where their harmonic structure originated. I'm guessing it is closer to the Western musical tradition than the Biblical, of which there seems to be no record.

So that's the background. Next we get to the nitty gritty.

To be continued...