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Melody vs Words—Lily Caswell

 As someone whose major is literally Piano Performance (and Public History), I tend to put music ahead of a lot of things, including God. When I read Book X Ch 33 of Confessions, a good amount of what Augustine said really hit me. Augustine said that “I do not enjoy it so much that I cannot tear myself away.  I can leave it when I wish.” (Augustine, p 238) I feel like a lot of the time, I can tear myself away from the piano, but once I get started on a piece, I get involved to the point where it’s almost too much. I also do this (to a lesser extent) with singing. Get me started on singing Broadway/musical theatre songs and Southern gospel hymns and I can do that all day long.

But I think the part of this reading that hit me the hardest is when Augustine said “I realize that nowadays it is not the singing that moves me but the meaning of the words when they are sung in a clear voice to the most appropriate tune...” (p 239) As a musician, I tend to listen to the musical melody more than the actual words especially in church because the music is just so good. However, I have to almost consciously remind myself to listen to the actual words because the words will mean so much more than the melody. The melodies change, but the words that are sung in church never will change more will they lose the power they possess to change lives. While melodies can often help us remember the words because we can sing them and that makes it easier to memorize, I think it is so important that we focus more on the words of what we’re singing. Augustine makes that point when he said that “when I find the singing itself more moving than the truth which it conveys, I confess that this is a grievous sin, and at those times I would prefer not to hear the singer.” (p 239) How many times have we focused more on the music than the words? 

I commented on Clabo’s and Hailey Morgan’s posts.

Comments

  1. Emma Kate PattersonFebruary 8, 2021 at 11:52 PM

    I agree that a lot of times we get lost in the tune of the song and do not pay enough attention to the words being sung. It is important that we listen to the words being sung more so than the tune they sing the words to. We must also remember the true meaning of worship which is to praise and glorify God.

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  2. IsabelleFebruary 9, 2021 at 7:46 AM

    I have the same habit of listening to the music rather than the words in church. You're right, it's just really good! However, I have found that the most powerful moments in church come when the music fades away, and the singer's voice rings throughout the building. It's like Augustine said, music is a powerful tool. As you said, it helps us to memorize the words so that we can recall those words in our times of need.

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  3. Logan TurnerFebruary 9, 2021 at 9:20 AM

    As someone who has almost no musical talent or background, I often find myself forgetting the lyrics to songs, unless I remember the melody behind the song. While I agree that we should never get swept away to the point where we completely forget the song's meaning, I also believe the musicality of the song helps those like me, remember the lyrics and get a better understanding of the meaning behind the song.

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