Musical and Social Meaning…part 16

Musical and Social Meaning…part 16

When I read Romans 12:2 in the light of knowledge made aware to Christian musicians by scientific research concerning how music triggers the mirror neuron system of the human brain and stimulates emotional states in the performer and the listener I am sobered.  “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” holds new meaning to Christian musicians.  Centuries before the BRECVEMA Model research, under divine inspiration, St. Paul was aware of the fact that it will take God’s transforming power to undo t mental conformation to the way the world thinks and does.  There are many ways in which the world (aion 165) implants the spirit of this age into a person’s mind and thereby squeezes people into its mold—the way that the world musics is certainly one of the ways.  Only a metamorphoo (3339) i.e. a complete mental transformation can undo the mental damage that the influence of the way that the world musics.  St. Paul did not recommend making some adjustments but rather a complete transformation.   Remember that verse one teaches that the “brethren” (Christians) should “present” and become “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

[1] Musical codes is used here in the sense that social meaning is imbedded in the music.

[2] Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.

[3] Metalanguage as used here means that music is capable of communicating beyond the restraints of written communication.

[4] Metacommunication as used here refers to communication that surrounds what a person says or musics that also has meaning. This meaning (in the music part of the music) may or may not be congruent with what that person intended to music. Since this communication is implicit and not expressed in words, it may support or contradict the verbal communication of the words spoken or sung. 

[5] Metacognition is thinking about thinking used here in the sense that the one who has experienced music later muses on his thoughts and emotions that were triggered during the previous musical experience.  These thoughts are self-reflective, so much so, that the person who experienced the music actually relives the musical experience.

[6] An axiom is a statement or proposition which is regarded by someone as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.

[7] Paralanguage was coined In the 1970s, by Gregory Bateson.  This term has come to mean nonverbal communication such as your tone of voice, pitch, intonation, speed of speaking, hesitation, noises, gestures, and facial expressions. The reason that a Christian must consider paralanguage is that it is a sort-of subset of meta-communication that often affects sacred musicing.  Paralanguage has the propensity to partially or even completely change the original meaning of sacred music. It is sometimes considered to only nuance nonphonemic properties of sacred music—i.e. words whose pronunciation and spelling do not match.  However, such a definition is too restrictive since paralanguage may consciously or unconsciously affect worship music much more than phonetically