Retaining God in Our Musical Knowledge

Retaining God in Our  Musical Knowledge

            In 1960, Donald Grout published his famous, “A History of Western Music”.  In this treatise, Grout is careful not to be specific concerning the origins of music.  He attributes the beginning of Western art music to the Christian church.  He also states that “Greek mythology ascribed to music a divine origin and named its inventors and earliest practitioners gods and demigods, such as Apollo, Amphion, and Orpheus.”3 He also mentions Old Testament references to music but does not recognize Bible music as authentic knowledge concerning the beginnings of music.

            In 1971, Edith Borroff published, “Music in Europe and the United States”.  She begins her treatise on music history with “Speculation on the beginnings of music is endlessly fascinating, but no certainty is even likely to come to it.” Although Borroff was unaware of it, the Hebrew Scriptures had authentic knowledge about Ancient music notation.

            In 1990, K. Marie Stolba published, “The Development of Western Music History”. She begins this treatise on music history by reminding history students that “Plato placed the origin of music in creation, and numerous legends present music as a gift of the gods or the invention of one of them.”5 She begins chapter one by acknowledging the music of Ugarit and the te’amim (musical notation) of the Bible. I was thrilled to see a college text with an excerpt from the Old Testament including the te'amim.  Although it has taken centuries for music historians to come to knowledge of the truth, Musicology has forced music historians to retain God in their knowledge. (See Romans 1:28).