Praise and Worship Music

I missed a day, and I feel terrible about it. And, honestly, today's post is not going to be very long. Mardi Gras is exhausting from rise to bed.

Today I am thinking about praise and worship music, thanks to Ken and my discussion regarding its place (or unwelcome) in the liturgy. There are a few steps - what is any music's place in the liturgy? How does praise and worship music not meet these criteria? What pitfalls do they suffer more than any liturgical music?

Music is integral to liturgy. I would not have always said that, and I myself still suffer from the music at most masses. But I am not the target audience of most masses, and liturgical music is generally successful at its main goals. Liturgical music is meant to solidify praying persons into a praying people through the sort of temporary/generalized relationships we have mentioned before. Through collective singing of well-known, common songs, we each feel part of the group. Think of going to your favorite band's concert - you aren't you anymore, you are a fan, with other fans; or Christmas carols - you aren't a cold joy-bringing person, you are a choir of carolers. Liturgical music can/should do that, too.

It also separates 'out there' from 'in here', creating a ritually sacred space by surrounding us with extra-ordinary items, architecture, scents, and sounds. The creation and importance of ritual and ritual space is a big topic, but the general idea is that, along a continuum or balance, the ritual space breaks our routine and allows us to get out of our heads, thus aiding our contact with others and 'the other'. That is what defines churchy music - it is music of any genre or age that is not found outside of churches. When you hear any churchy music you should think of church, and when you think of church you should think of churchy music. By being so limited, churchy music is only identified with the ritual space, and so helps us create the ritual space. Hearing the music reminds us of how to be in church, so to speak.

What helps churchy music, good liturgical music, do this? Well, things that make it different and also common. Being around for a generation is a good start. If you have heard a song in church from the time you were using crayons on the pews, you probably remember more or less how to sing it. Not to mention that songs have a long life if they survive a natural selection of sorts, so older songs may actually be better than much of what you hear. Its not like every song in the 60s was awesome, but the ones we remember were pretty awesome, then and now.

Next to that, a good song has to be accessible, singable, easy to play well on the piano, easy to hum on the way home. Liturgical songs are for the masses (pun).

Lastly, liturgical songs should not sound good on the radio. That's a hard thing to say, but the place of liturgical music is the ritual space, exclusively. If it sounds good outside of a church, it undermines its identity as liturgical music because it is no longer unique to the ritual space. Church and driver's seat and cereal box aisle are not the same, and liturgical music must help preserve that difference.

These are all very Catholic things to say, and could be taken to paint me as a traditionalist. Insofar as tradition is necessary for ritual, I am a traditionalist. So yes, I am a liturgical music traditionalist. I believe that ritual is key to Christianity, and I think that tradition is key to ritual - both very catholic things to say because they are founded on ideas like hierarchy salvific acts. So, without shame I say that praise and worship music is a non-catholic phenomenon. Please stop playing the latest Christ Tomlin hits in the Mass. They do not fit between the 2000-5000 year old rites of the Word and of the Eucharist, or being sung by an ordained man in ritual vestments, under a canopy of medieval architecture. Its just confusing.

Praise and Worship music confuses the Mass because it does not meet the above criteria. It is not a generation old yet. Some few songs are making the cut already, and have crossed over a little maybe. So my septuagenarian grandmother, who is relatively keen, who has a blog, may not be part of our congregation of singers when the song is played. The song may become a moment for a few individuals to have an emotional experience, and for the guitarist to really jam, but the liturgy is not a coffee house venue.

We do adjust over time, and we do grow into some songs, but most praise and worship music simply does not have the lyrically rich content to support thirty years of regular singing/praying. I hate to cast wide dispersions, but an hour listening to the praise and worship radio station will confirm my generalization. To really last, all good songs have more than generic personal emotion; very few praise and worship tunes make that bar. So, mark one against praise and worship music.

Part of what makes praise and worship music is its accessibility, but in a pop context. They have simple lyrics, sure, and easy to sing tunes. But can a congregation drudging through the motions, as most do, still give the song meaning? Can the song be sung without barefooted, over-delighted college musicians? That is the litmus test for en masse singability (punx2). That quality is present in some contemporary Christian music, so a tie.

But much of contemporary Christian praise and worship music has fallen into the trap that pulls other songs down with it - christian radio. If you see vestments on sale at the Gap, they cease to be ritually significant. If a church is an apartment building, it ceases to be a church. If ritual music is sung outside of the ritual, its ritual efficacy is eaten away. Oh, christian radio, let me count the fail.

Sing carefully. The songs you sing are effective, they have an effect. Mass is not open mic morning, it is ritually planned. And, praise and worship music lovers, give me a song.

1050 words - does that roll over?