The Value of Sacred Music: An Anthology of Essential Writings, 1801-1918

187 Pages·2008·2.28 MB·English

by  Jonathan L. Friedmann

The Value
of Sacred Music
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The Value of
Sacred Music
An Anthology of Essential
Writings, 1801–1918
COMPILED BY
JONATHAN L. FRIEDMANN
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
The value of sacred music : an anthology of essential writings,
1801–1918 / compiled by Jonathan L. Friedmann.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-4201-0
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
1. Music—Religious aspects—History. 2. Churh music.
I. Friedmann, Jonathan L., 1980–
ML3921.V36 2009
781.71—dc22 2008047024
British Library cataloguing data are available
©2009 Jonathan L. Friedmann. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover images ©2008 Shutterstock
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Introduction 5
Part I. Origins of Sacred Music
1. Bible History of Music (1853)
Nathaniel D. Gould 17
2. Spirit of Jewish Music (1887)
Louis S. Davis 23
3. Ancient Jewish Hymns (1910)
Louis C. Elson 27
4. Primitive and Ancient Religious Music (1903)
Edward Dickinson 33
5. Religion and the Art of Music (1914)
Waldo Selden Pratt 51
Part II. Music and Spirituality
6. Music in Relation to Public Worship (1881)
John Bulmer 67
7. The Mysticism of Music (1915)
R. Heber Newton 73
8. The Emotions in Music (1874)
E. Janes 91
9. Music, Emotions, and Morals (1893)
Hugh Reginald Haweis 99
v
vi Table of Contents
Part III. Standards of Sacred Music
10. The Art of Gregorian Music (1896)
Dom Andre Mocquereau 105
11. Sing to the Harp with a Psalm of Thanksgiving (1801)
William Jones 122
12. Church Music: General Considerations (1904)
A. Madeley Richardson 133
13. Secular Currents in Synagogal Chant in America (1918)
Joseph Reider 138
14. Music as an Aid to Worship and Work (1884)
W. H. Gladstone, W. Parratt, S. A. Barnett, and
C. H. Hylton Stewart 147
Index 175
Preface
Over the past several decades, sacred music has experienced growing
popularity among both scholars and the general public. More and more, the
intersection of song and religion has become a standard topic in music and
religious studies departments, and interfaith groups worldwide have instituted
annual concerts of sacred music. These developments reflect an increased
recognition that not only are music and religion fundamental to the human
experience, they are also inextricably linked in the context of religious wor-
ship.
The close relationship of music and prayer does, of course, have ancient
roots. In fact, it was the rabbinic sages, some fifteen hundred years ago, who
best described this indelible partnership: “Where there is song, there shall be
prayer” (Devarim Rabba80:2). And among the Bible’s many references to the
singing of divine praise is the stirring proclamation from Psalms: “Sing unto
God with the voice of melody” (Ps. 47:1).
Still, the age-old acknowledgment of music’s profound role in religious
experience has yielded surprisingly few writings on the subject. This paucity
of material is due largely to the fact that because the value of sacred music is
self-evident to those who participate in religious services, it often fails to
inspire serious reflection. Sacred music is, it seems, more apt for experience
than discussion.
As a result, there exists no common body of literature on sacred music,
but rather scattered reflections, often on topics so specialized or denomina-
tion-specific that they appeal only to a handful of musicians and scholars.
Especially lacking are writings of centuries past—scholarship that can serve
as a historical foundation for the broader study of music and religion. After
all, if the study of sacred music is to be a more organized, interdisciplinary
field of research—rather than one primarily limited to church and synagogue
musicians—there ought to be made available a collection of historical writ-
ings from which to derive theories, questions, insights, and debates. Most cru-
cially, these writings should address topics both universal enough to have wide
application, and rich enough to warrant serious contemplation.
1
2 Preface
Fortunately, writings of this sort, though few and largely neglected, have
been preserved on library shelves. This anthology presents the most accessi-
ble of such works, selected for their broad subject matter and keen insights
into the essential union of music and worship. As a whole, they span the nine-
teenth and early twentieth centuries, a period that witnessed the emergence of
musicology, psychology, and religious studies—formative versions of which
inform many arguments found in this volume. Written from varied perspec-
tives and by scholars of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish music, these selec-
tions have in common a favorable view of music in religious ritual, and an
understanding that music can communicate the spirituality of worship far bet-
ter than words. Topics covered include the history of music’s use in religious
ritual, the emotional impact of music on worshipers, and the need for stan-
dards of selecting sacred music for religious services—all issues with rele-
vance for present-day readers.
Moreover, these essays, among the first to view the subject of religion
and music through a modern historical-scientific lens, advocate a humanistic
evaluation of sacred music, focused less on the technical aspects of musical
composition, and more on the effect of sound patterns on the listener—the
expressive nature of music that makes it such a valuable part of the worship
experience. Unlike much of musicological analysis, they are not concerned with
the lives or compositional styles of composers of sacred music, such as Palest-
rina, Bach, or Mendelssohn, but rather address the larger and more universal
questions: Why is music such a natural part of religious ritual, and what sort
of music is conducive to worship? For this reason, in particular, these essays
are worthy of inclusion in modern discussions of sacred song, engaging as
they do the heart and spirit of music often lost in the details of musicological
and even theological discussions of music and religion.
It must be noted, however, that these essays, originally published between
1801and 1918, reflect the intellectual period in which they were written. While
this does not adversely affect the main thrust of the individual essays, some
of the writings contain generalizations, historical omissions or misinformation,
ethnocentric statements, and a reliance on the Bible as a completely reliable
historical document—arguments that have since been expunged from academic
discourse. As such, they embody both the good and the bad of nineteenth and
early twentieth-century scholarship: they are bold, adventurous, and pioneer-
ing, but also tinged with a sense of social and cultural superiority.
As distasteful as some of the claims made in this volume may be to pres-
ent-day readers, the greater import of these writings should not be ignored.
Rather, they should be understood in their social and intellectual context, and
appreciated for the light they can still shed on the larger subject of sacred
music. After all, if we were to dismiss these writings because they contain a
few old-fashioned statements, then the invaluable ideas they present would
forever go unnoticed.
Preface 3
I am grateful to the libraries of Stanford University, Harvard University,
the University of Michigan, California State University, Long Beach, and the
University of California, Los Angeles for preserving and making available
these important writings. They have enabled modern readers to evaluate these
old essays, and to find for themselves those ideas and viewpoints still vital for
the deeper understanding of the value of sacred music.
This anthology presents, for the first time, a collection of important his-
torical essays dealing specifically with the purpose and function of sacred
music. The selections in this volume are, I believe, both approachable and use-
ful for present-day readers. It is my hope that this anthology, while more rep-
resentative than comprehensive, will serve as a much-needed introduction to
the historical thought on sacred music, and that the essays it contains will
inspire readers to think more deeply about the role of music in religious rit-
ual.