For years I found hymns and chant boring. To me, old hymns were nothing but funeral durges that made church dull. However, over the last few years I have learned the infinite value of ordered music that is naturally pleasing to the ear and actually enhances our worship.
This natural phenomenon may be attributed completely to the teachings of Pythagoras in regards to the ratios of harmonic intervals and “the music of the spheres.” Early scholars knew that there was some special reality about music, some supernatural influence that it had on it’s listeners. In ancient Greece, Plato taught that good music is the means to good citizenship. Aristotle, Damon, and Cicero had similar discoveries, but all recoognized that music was important and influential. The goals and aspirations of good music continued through the early Christian church. St. Clement wrote that ”The essence of man’s being is his striving after God. It [the composition of music] is brought to life by means of the logos, the divine in art. That is the only thing that has significance.”
Natural harmonic intervals and logical chord progressions are not the only things that make traditional hymns and chant uplifting and prayful. It is the words and the attitude that go along with them. In hymn texts like “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” we are not only singing beautifully written music, but the text puts us in our place as children of God. The text does not center on us, but on the Father’s truthfulness and unconditional love. These hymns are centered on God and His perfect order, in music and in language. Most texts, especially in chant and older hymns, are straight from scripture, the inspired word of God. By singing meaningful words of love and selfless discipleship, we put ourselves in a state of prayer where we are completely open to the grace of the Father.
I do not mean to say by this post that it is impossible to worship God with contemporary praise music, but it may be harder. Personally, I enjoy contemporary worship songs and I have fun singing them, but I often feel distracted by the lack of natural order and the self-centered text. Contemporary worship music is uplifting, but in a totally different way than traditional hymns and chant. It is emotionally charging and exciting, but it seems to leave us wanting more, wanting a truer sense of self-giving prayer.
