Music Styles Communicate Meaning-part 2

Music Styles Communicate Meaning-part 2

       One of the objectives of these posts on music styles is to apply music philosophy to music praxis.  Music philosophy is actually only so much rhetoric until it is put into practice.  One’s music philosophy may look excellent on paper, but unless it is applied to music “doing” it only serves to ease a musician’s conscience.   It is one thing to say you believe something, but it is entirely another to back it up by what we actually "do" when you music.  

             If the words of the songs we sing unto God are completely biblical, then they embody truth.  They represent absolute truth because their message is absolute truth. They represent what Francis Schaeffer would call “true truth”.  If the words are congruent with biblical principles then it stands to reason that the style of singing should also be congruent with the words sung.  The words and the music must send the same message.

        I Corinthians14:7-8 states, “And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, [melodies] how shall it be known what is piped or harped?  For if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”  There is much deeper musical truth in this Bible music reference than is commonly understood. When a soloist’s vocal performance style allows scooping up to pitches, breathy indiscriminate non-vocal sounds, delayed vibrato (or no vibrato), the result is without doubt an “uncertain sound” vocally speaking. The vocal performance style actually belies the constant truth of the message of Christ crucified.  So, when a vocalist juxtaposes biblical “true truth” with a vocal performance style that is not accurately in pitch, constant or aesthetically presented, then the musical message, which affects the spiritual message, is greatly hindered, diluted and therefore obscured.