Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Musical Sound Communicates Meaning Part 18


Musical Sound Communicates Meaning Part 18   

            My belief that some musicians will be damaged more because they understand the musical sounds more than others does not put a premium on a Christian’s ignorance of a particular; genre of music; I am merely stating that those who are the most entrenched in worldly styles of music will possibly be the ones who receive the greatest emotional and spiritual damage from performing and listening to it.  This is all the more reason to not pander to the worldly seekers addictions to spiritually harmful styles of music.    

            Christian musicians also must be aware to the sound addictions that some seekers have.  It gives strong impetus to the church to provide the un-churched seeker a diet of “new song” which will be music of a higher renovated character than the music with which they have surrounded themselves.  There is no doubt about it, many sinners will need a renewing of the mind which will not be possible if  church music sounds feed their sinful lusts by that triggering lust and passion.    

            At this point in our discussion I find it germane to return to the school of music philosophy called formalism.  When considering the well-known philosophy of strict formalists, it is generally understood that they believe that the meaning of “absolute music” [music without words] is meaningless outside of the music itself.  What that means is that in the real world, the “meaning” of the musical sounds produced from the music written on the score are actually meaningless marks on the  page since they supposedly have no meaning in the extra-musical world and are incapable of communicating anything practical or referential.   

Thought for the Day-   

Many times the sounds of a worldly style of music have become addictive and a source of spiritual failure to the sinner. It seems strange to me that a thinking music minister would want to contribute to this sound addiction using the same harmful music.




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