Worship is about seeking a connection. It can be about seeking a connection with others in the physical worship space, a connection with the meditations of one\u2019s own heart, and a connection with a greater purpose, power, or understanding. To come to a greater level of connection and understanding with something one does not fully understand (for example: God), it seems unlikely that the connection and answers will be found in something that which one fully understands. Therefore, music is the necessary bridge between the known and the unknown and is the connector in worship that so many people cling to for a glimpse into whatever it is they are looking for.<\/p>\n
This fall in our music history course at St. Olaf College we have been discussing where music comes from. There is something unique and captivating about music that is unlike mere speech. The sounds and traits of music and song can express so much more than the words of a song alone. This extra quality music carries has been attributed throughout the world by many cultures to different things including sounds from nature such as the Suy\u00e1 tradition of attributing music as coming from nature through people\u2019s spirits living with the birds.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n In addition to providing a mystery in worship of where it comes from, music also carries with it a mysterious bridge between Earth and Heaven. Often in denying oneself of worldly needs or pleasures (for example fasting or choosing to \u201cgive something up\u201d during the Christian season of Lent before Easter), worship and religious practices aim to remind people of the impermanence of their bodies and life on earth. According to an article by Bruce Holsinger, in medieval theology it is understood that the less one gives into one\u2019s senses and worldly desires, the closer that person may be to God.2<\/sup><\/a> For example, St. Augustine wrote in his confessions of his pleasure for sound that he was aware of the \u201cdanger that lies in gratifying the senses.\u201d Music in worship has the unique ability to both gratify our worldy senses and desires while still connecting our temporary lives on earth to the greater and larger hope of Heaven or life after death.<\/p>\n It is difficult to imagine worship without music. Music is a strong connector between Earth and Heaven, impermanence and permanence, humanity and God. The mysterious qualities that give music power appeal to both the innate human desires and the quest for understanding of a higher power. Universally music has been that bridge and connector in hopes of getting a tiny bit closer to understanding something greater than life on Earth.<\/p>\n 1 Anthony Seeger, \u201cThe Origin of Songs,\u201d in Why Suy\u00e1 Sing: A musical anthropology of an Amazonian People (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987), 54-55.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n 2\u00a0Bruce Holsinger, \u201cThe Flesh of the Voice: Embodiment and the Homoerotics of Devotion in the Music of Hildegard von Bingen,\u201d Signs 19\/1 (Autumn 1993), 95.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Worship is about seeking a connection. It can be about seeking a connection with others in the physical worship space, a connection with the meditations of one\u2019s own heart, and a connection with a greater purpose, power, or understanding. To … Continue reading