July 12 1999

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Don't Trust the Tone Deaf
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, strategems, and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus:
Let no such man be trusted.

—William Shakespeare in
The Merchant of Venice

The Church's Greatest Ornament
Music is as well or better able to praise [God] than the building of the church and all its decorations: it is the Church's greatest ornament … religious music without religion is almost always vulgar.

—Igor Stravinsky in
Conversations with Igor Stravinsky

Singing Truth
I wept at the beauty of your hymns and canticles, and was powerfully moved at the sweet sound of your Church singing. These sounds flowed into my ears, and the truth streamed into my heart.

—Saint Augustine in
Confessions, IX

Singing with Understanding
The hymnal of the church is a reflection of its theology.

—Milton S. Agnew in
The Better Covenant

Music As Prayer
Some songs automatically break down walls and barriers. I don't know if you've ever experienced being burdened or tied up in knots so that you don't even know what to say. Certain songs can open you up, so that by the time you've finished that song, you're down at the altar and you're ready to talk.

—An unidentified speaker quoted in
Protest and Praise: Sacred Music of Black Religion

Honoring the Author
The aim and final reason, as of all music, … should be none else but the Glory of God and recreation of the mind.

—J. S. Bach, quoted in
Music Is Your Forte

Divine Conversation I believe we should consider church music basically to be theological expression—part of the dialogue between God and worshipers. ...