The Reformation period is mostly related to Martin Luther’s actions to reform the Catholic traditions (Kulp, 2004) and to the Anglican Church separation from the Roman Catholic Church and these events implied a series of changes regarding the church administration, including changes in the church music (Reese, 1990).
As such, Henry the VIII of England imposed a major shift in in the liturgical upheaval, declaring that all services would be performed in English language (as compared to the previously used Latin language, considered the language of God) and in terms of church music there would be used one syllable to each note (Stetzer, 2013). Through the Act of Uniformity, issued in January 1549, all the traditional church music, maintained and transmitted from generation to generation for centuries and any use of the Latin language would become illegal, instead there would solely be used “the Book of Common prayer and none other” (Long, 1972, in Reese, 1990, p. 24).
Similarly, Martin Luther, considered the father of Protestant Reformation, also saw the advantages of using the vernacular language in church music, for defining his present times and for creating an authentic church experience, translating the truth in theological environment, which was also a tool for generating social awareness among the Christians (Kulp, 2004). Socially relevant for the Reformation period, the church song “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, written by Martin Luther, was strongly entrenched in the church music, being a symbolic representation of resisting the persecution, armed with the belief that God will defend, protect and win victories as His word will forever exist (Kulp, 2004).
The current controversies regarding the church music refer to the type of music that should be played in churches, which should interpret God’s words, but since the Bible gives no references to what music God prefers and makes no musical indications, it gives free way to controversies about what type of music should be played in churches (Stetzer, 2013). Some critics consider inappropriate the use of certain musical instruments, such as the flute or the trumpets in the church, others consider irrelevant the involvement of the congregation in singing in the church, as it shifts the focus from praising God to praising the peope, and others consider that bringing rhymes to church music is simply wrong because church music is much more than a scholastic activity (Stetzer, 2013). In the twentieth century there was a vivid discussion about bringing the modern music in church and the main argument of those arguing for modern music in churches was “why should the devil have all the best music?” and this slogan was later used to sustain the relevance of introducing rock music in church (William Both in Stetzer, 2013).
Clark (2010) states that since always the role of the music in churches was to call upon God to enter in the believers’ heart and through music to express their worship for God and therefore, the church music should focus on discovering God through music, rather than pleasing the social imposed aesthetic senses through archaic rhythm and praising words. This view places a significant orientation on individual, since each person connects with God differently and has distinct communications and experiences with God, which makes them hear different musical tunes that they consider appropriate for church music, for opening their hearts and praising God. Therefore, the main controversy related to church music in the 21st century focuses on what music style is appropriate for the church environment and how should this music be performed. As current trends indicate, the church music controversy resides in the music preferences of individuals, which they would like to hear in churches, as compared to the music styles considered apriori superior and more suited to church than others (Kulp, 2004). The interest towards current music styles and the believers’ desire to see and hear their preferred music style played in churches is an indication of the believers’ concern for actuality, for adapting the church and the liturgical experience to current lifestyle, updating and upgrading the previous church processes (including the church music) to the current days. As such, while there are Christians who consider the older church music to be outdated and require for newer music in churches, there are also
Christians that consider the older church music to be sacred and define the newer music as blasphemy (Kulp, 2004).
For mediating this existent controversy in the nowadays church music, Robert Webber defines the role of the contemporary music as applied to the church context, stating that it “should express a cultural sensitivity to modern needs, without rejecting the best of our heritage” (in Kulp, 2004). This explanation confirms that societies evolve and this also triggers the cultural evolution, and religious evolution, as religious principles, as inherited from our ancestors, should nevertheless face the new living conditions and adjust. And because music has been since always an instrument for describing and reflecting the social realities, it should walk hand in hand with religion and church adaptation to the current social realities in order for the church music to continue to be relevant by including words extracted from the current daily living and from the modern rhythms, which to express church principles.
Therefore, while in the Reformation time, using the vernacular language in church music was considered by the Christians of that time a sacrilege and an inconsistency, because it meant replacing over night the old church music words (uttered in the old Latin) with local languages, in current times it is considered a blasphemy to play modern, newer music in churches, as the old church music is considered superior more suited to praising God.
The situation from the nowadays church music controversy is similar with the Reformation church music controversy, which indicates the unpreparedness of believers to adapt to change and implicitly the rigorous, static character imposed to church, as it disregards any major changes from its standardized processes. Nevertheless, the actual and the Reformation time music church controversy represent expressions of social constructivism, not of the religion itself, since, as noted previously in this paper, the Bible makes no reference to what type of music, in what language and what words should be used in church music for transmitting God’s learning.
In relation to the purpose of the controversies that marked the shift towards the use of vernacular language in church music in Reformation as compared to the one of the current controversy that critiques the use of contemporary music in church, there can be observed a distinction. The sustainers of Reformation were merely focused on imposing political authority over church and the references made to changing the language of the church music into the vernacular language was a political or ideological strategy meant to strengthen the state’s power, by disseminating political ideology messages through church music, persuading the believers into involuntarily becoming adepts of the state’s persuasive messages. Hence, using the country’s language in the church music might have been initially a political-driven manipulation tool. On the contrary, the nowadays controversy regarding what type of music should be played and listened in church expresses the believers’ musical preferences and in the same time their distinct and individual sensitivity and relation to God, expressed through modern music for some, and for others entrenched in an “archaic must-be church music”, which they consider more appropriate for the liturgical experience and for expressing their fate and love for God.
References
Clark, P. (2010) Tune my heart to sing Thy grace. Indiana, CrossBooks.
Pulp, A.P. (2004) The philosophy of church music and its effects on the expansion of the church. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Rees, R.L.D. (1990) The role of music and musicians in current English parish church worship: the attitudes of clergy and organists. Sheffield, University of Sheffield.
Stetzer, E. (2013) Church music conflicts. Retrieved from http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2013/may/church-music-conflicts.html.
