Aesthetics and the Christian Musician Part 11

 

           Aesthetics and the Christian musician Part 11

For the past ten posts, we have been discussing the developing of a Christian music aesthetic.  We have also discussed a noise based music aesthetic and translations that have mistakenly translated ruwa as "Joyful noise".  As we mentioned in yesterday's post, the actual Hebrew word used in all of the texts mentioned that have been translated "joyful noise" is the word ruwa (7321) which meant to shout with joy.  The New International Version justly translates Psalm 66:1,2 as follows:

v. 1          Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

v. 2          Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! (NIV) 

It also translates 81:1 as “sing for joy”, 95:1, “come sing for joy”, 95:2, “extol him with music and song”, 98:4, “shout for joy”, 98:6, “shout for joy”, and 100:1, “shout for joy”.

            To add insult to injury some contemporary Christian musicians declare that these verses command Christian musicians to perform religious music with noise.  There are no biblical imperatives for musicians to include noise in our musical offerings to God.  As a matter of fact, there is not a single hint in the Bible record that Christians should ever include noise in our musical worship to God.  It is my belief that the use of beauty in the arts in worship serves the purpose of creating atmospheres and preparatory moods for the corporate worship experiences. 

           Beauty in music can cause the worshiper, who hears the created art object, to become more acutely aware of the Creator of the great art of music.  I have personally gone away from worshiping through music with an heightened awareness of the Creator.  (I have also left the concert hall, after hearing the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra perform secular music, with an exalted view of the Creator who so marvelously created music.)