Should liturgical music feel good? If so, not so – why?
8 comments
Yes and no.
Music for worship must comport with Scripture. It must glorify God, particularly by glorifying Christ as our risen Lord. It must not conflict with Scripture. It should be relatively easy to memorize so that we can sing it everywhere going about our business, so that we might always be offering up praises to God.
It should “feel good” in the sense of the following Psalms and their instruction on worship.
Psalm 33:1-3, Psalm 100:1-2.
Rejoicing, singing, gladness, a new song. These are all keywords here.
We also see “new song” in Revelation 5:9, Let’s look at 5-10 for full context.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
The new song we sing is a joyful one (“weep not”) for the Lamb of God has redeemed men from every tribe and tongue as His Bride, made us unto God as kings and priests (cf. I Peter 2:9).
“New song” is also in Isaiah 42:10. Let’s back up a few verses for context:
Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, [in whom] my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Isa 42:2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
Isa 42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
Isa 42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
Isa 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Isa 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Isa 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, [and] them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Isa 42:8 I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Isa 42:10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, [and] his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
The new song we sing stems from the former things coming to past. This passage is about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, abolishing the old covenant and replacing it with a new and better covenant in His blood. Therefore we rejoice in Him, singing a new song, declaring his praises to the ends of the earth (which is tied in with the evangelistic mission of the Great Commission, see Mark 16:15-20).
In as much as our praises are to be joyous and triumphant, reflecting the triumph of His Resurrection, yes, liturgical music should make us “feel good.”
Define ‘feel good.’ I mean, liturgical music shouldn’t make you feel bad. If the entire reason a piece of music is being used is to make the congregation feel good, then it shouldn’t be used.
Repeated exposure to music that is well-crafted and does what it is supposed to do (e.g., good liturgical music) will have a salubrious effect on the properly-disposed listener. In other words, even if I don’t particularly like a particular (well-constructed) piece, I will soon grow accustomed to it and begin to appreciate it if I hear it often.
One can also grow accustomed to hearing trash in the same way one can grow accustomed to eating candy bars every day or reading Newsweek. This is why it is important to be properly disposed. Initial discomfort with something that is good is insignificant.
Yes, in that it should be a vehicle for aesthetic experience, aiding in the Mass.
No, in that it shouldn’t seek to glorify the worshippers. Too much liturgical (and Christian) music is about how we’ve gathered, how God bestows favor on his faithful, etc. For some reason this sort of music rubs me the wrong way and makes me feel like we’re worshipping ourselves and not God.
I’ll try to be concise: the music of the liturgy should match the theme of the Mass and the liturgical season. It shouldn’t be “feel-good” all the time, but it shouldn’t be mournful either.
Music in the Catholic church SUCKS. It needs to be:
1) appropriate–prayerful, scriptural, not too loud
2) practiced–get rid of people who want to be Willie Nelson
3) not a way to get attention for wanna bees.
‘feel good’ is such a vague term that the question lacks real meaning.
Liturgical music should support and be integrated with the meaning of the liturgy. If it evokes particular emotions, those emotions should be congruent with the liturgy. A Gloria should evoke the transcendance of the Lord in His glory, and should arouse feelings of joy and awe – these feelings may or may not be comfortable depending upon the state of one’s soul! Hymns, if sung, should be viewed as sung prayers,not as performance art.
Sacred music should (unless contraindicated by the occasion, e.g., Dies Irae or Good Friday) be uplifting and, in that sense, make one “feel good”. After all, the point of music is to move the emotions — usually you’d want to do this in a positive direction, although again, there is a time for evoking feelings of sadness, contrition, conviction, fear of the Lord, and so forth.
I guess I’d say that on major feast days, which are joyful occasions, it should be uplifting. The days most appropriate for somber, sad music would be All Soul’s Day and Good Friday. Fear of the Lord is appropriate, too, for All Soul’s Day (and for Christ the King). In between, I’d say that Lent, especially Ash Wednesday, is an appropriate time for music that evokes contrition, compunction, conviction, etc. rather than being uplifting. Also the first half of Advent (the Second Coming half).
Yes and no.
Music for worship must comport with Scripture. It must glorify God, particularly by glorifying Christ as our risen Lord. It must not conflict with Scripture. It should be relatively easy to memorize so that we can sing it everywhere going about our business, so that we might always be offering up praises to God.
It should “feel good” in the sense of the following Psalms and their instruction on worship.
Psalm 33:1-3, Psalm 100:1-2.
Rejoicing, singing, gladness, a new song. These are all keywords here.
We also see “new song” in Revelation 5:9, Let’s look at 5-10 for full context.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
The new song we sing is a joyful one (“weep not”) for the Lamb of God has redeemed men from every tribe and tongue as His Bride, made us unto God as kings and priests (cf. I Peter 2:9).
“New song” is also in Isaiah 42:10. Let’s back up a few verses for context:
Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, [in whom] my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Isa 42:2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
Isa 42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
Isa 42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
Isa 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Isa 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Isa 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, [and] them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Isa 42:8 I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Isa 42:10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, [and] his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
The new song we sing stems from the former things coming to past. This passage is about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, abolishing the old covenant and replacing it with a new and better covenant in His blood. Therefore we rejoice in Him, singing a new song, declaring his praises to the ends of the earth (which is tied in with the evangelistic mission of the Great Commission, see Mark 16:15-20).
In as much as our praises are to be joyous and triumphant, reflecting the triumph of His Resurrection, yes, liturgical music should make us “feel good.”
Define ‘feel good.’ I mean, liturgical music shouldn’t make you feel bad. If the entire reason a piece of music is being used is to make the congregation feel good, then it shouldn’t be used.
Repeated exposure to music that is well-crafted and does what it is supposed to do (e.g., good liturgical music) will have a salubrious effect on the properly-disposed listener. In other words, even if I don’t particularly like a particular (well-constructed) piece, I will soon grow accustomed to it and begin to appreciate it if I hear it often.
One can also grow accustomed to hearing trash in the same way one can grow accustomed to eating candy bars every day or reading Newsweek. This is why it is important to be properly disposed. Initial discomfort with something that is good is insignificant.
Yes, in that it should be a vehicle for aesthetic experience, aiding in the Mass.
No, in that it shouldn’t seek to glorify the worshippers. Too much liturgical (and Christian) music is about how we’ve gathered, how God bestows favor on his faithful, etc. For some reason this sort of music rubs me the wrong way and makes me feel like we’re worshipping ourselves and not God.
I’ll try to be concise: the music of the liturgy should match the theme of the Mass and the liturgical season. It shouldn’t be “feel-good” all the time, but it shouldn’t be mournful either.
Music in the Catholic church SUCKS. It needs to be:
1) appropriate–prayerful, scriptural, not too loud
2) practiced–get rid of people who want to be Willie Nelson
3) not a way to get attention for wanna bees.
‘feel good’ is such a vague term that the question lacks real meaning.
Liturgical music should support and be integrated with the meaning of the liturgy. If it evokes particular emotions, those emotions should be congruent with the liturgy. A Gloria should evoke the transcendance of the Lord in His glory, and should arouse feelings of joy and awe – these feelings may or may not be comfortable depending upon the state of one’s soul! Hymns, if sung, should be viewed as sung prayers,not as performance art.
Sacred music should (unless contraindicated by the occasion, e.g., Dies Irae or Good Friday) be uplifting and, in that sense, make one “feel good”. After all, the point of music is to move the emotions — usually you’d want to do this in a positive direction, although again, there is a time for evoking feelings of sadness, contrition, conviction, fear of the Lord, and so forth.
I guess I’d say that on major feast days, which are joyful occasions, it should be uplifting. The days most appropriate for somber, sad music would be All Soul’s Day and Good Friday. Fear of the Lord is appropriate, too, for All Soul’s Day (and for Christ the King). In between, I’d say that Lent, especially Ash Wednesday, is an appropriate time for music that evokes contrition, compunction, conviction, etc. rather than being uplifting. Also the first half of Advent (the Second Coming half).