Re: [Worship] history and future of music etc.

[David Stone <dstone@chem.utoronto.ca>]

>Is there anyone on the list that has done history of music and is able
>to assist with some research that I am doing.  I am trying to link up
>the modern western scales with the type of music David would have
>played. Obviosly the Psalms that he recorded would have sounded
>completely different and we have very little hope of duplicating a
>musical similarity to these.

No kidding!  ALthough that hasn't stopped many musicologists from
trying.  I highly recommend "The Story of Christian Music" by Andrew
Wilson-Dickson (Fortress Press MN ISBN 0-8006-2987-6) which will get
you started on answering your question.

  I have learnt that 2/3/4 part harmony is a
>relatively recent addition to music that we know (1200 - 1300 AD) as are
>chords.  We know that there is not much in the way of "recorded music
>notation" from early history, but that the Persians had a much more
>perfect (if I cans say that) scale than our modern western scale.

WHy do you say "perfect"?  There are scads of different scales with
different tonalities.  Each is probably "perfect" for the culture
within which it arose (Gamelan music comes to mind, for one)

  How
>about the scale that we know - I believe that the early church based
>their music on the Greek scale which was pentatonic. We do not read much
>at all about the early church music and how they sang and played music
>except for a few references to prison doors opening because of praise
>and other bits and pieces.

They thought they did, but nobody _really_ knows what the Greek scales
actually sounded like.  The "church modes" all have greek names, but
that really doesn't mean much musically.

>
>How does the scale that we know (Do Ra Me...) which is "imperfect" with
>respect to mathematics and frequencies fit in with the music of heaven -

It sounds like you're refering to the ancient Greek philosophical idea
of the "Music of the Spheres" here.  If so, I'd recommend reading
"The Music of the Spheres" by Jamie James (Grove Press).  You might
be surprised at what you read.  In any event, I'd submit that the
Western major diatonic scale is no more or less perfect than any other
scale, diatonic or otherwise.

>I have heard of people "hearing" angels singing with what seems an
>unearthly but beautiful song that touches the spirit.  This leads me to
>think that our music is really temporary and will not come with us to
>heaven but the "imperfect" nature of our music will pass away and we
>will enter into a new realm with worship.

Who knows for sure?  I for one am looking forward to finding out, though!

  I would like to throw another
>curve ball into mix.  How about "praise"  does God need our praise.
>Does he need to be told how wonderful and mighty etc etc He is.  If not,
>then the "praise" that we know will not be neccessary in Heaven as it is
>for our own benefit.  However worship is a totally different thing and
>will be a part of heaven.  The Holy Holy Holy song of the angels in
>Revelation will take on a whole new flavour.

I would submit that God does not _need_ praise, period. At the same time,
that does not alter the fact that he is completely and utterly WORTHY of
praise, period!!

>I am finding it fascinating that the music that we put so much effort
>into learning and excelling in is really of a temporary nature and that
>we really need to be free to express our worship and praise in a fashion
>that may be jarring to our "trained ears" but does not neccessarily
>follow a tradition of rote notes and phrasings.  I challange you to tune
>your guitars to something totally different and to experiment with new
>"scales"

I don't follow your reasoning here.  Why do we "need" to try music that
is "jarring to our trained ears"?  If there was some compelling spiritual
reason to do this, surely there would be some mention of it in the Bible?
Please try and explain what you're getting at more clearly.

Our contemporary western scale is probably jarring to those who've grown
up in cultures that use completely different tonalities!  I have somewhere
at home a list of over 50 different tonal systems used in music around the
world. There's nothing especially "spiritual" (or, for that manner,
"unspiritual") about any of it - it's all just music.  I would suggest
that, ideally,  worship should transcend the means used to express it.

Cheers,

Dave Stone



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