MUSC 307

Assignment 1: The Early Church Fathers on Music

Due 9/15 at 11:59 pm
please type your answers

Read the provided writings by St. Basil, John Chrysostom and St. Augustine and answer the
following questions:

1. What are the benefits of Psalm singing according to St. Basil? According to Augustine?
According to St. Basil, Psalm singing was necessary to succeed in fighting the inclinations of the
world, and be in right relationship with the Spirit. In this way, they would be trained in the soul,
soothed, and also learning Scripture. The Psalms of David were widely known, sung at all types of
church gatherings. The types of instrumentation used for such singing are just as important, affecting
the way the congregation feels. A harp relates to the nerves of the body, timbrel and dance fights
against corruption, and sounding cymbals relate to the body of the saints.

Augustine’s view of Psalm singing began with a root of comfort and spiritual strength. Long hours
keeping watch over the church led to spiritual weariness, so they took comfort in the songs. For
Augustine, music was passionate, had real meaning, and was not simply a group of meaningless
embellishments. He was constantly at battle with his soul, fighting between his deep love of music
and his Christian conscience. He worried he was too strict at times from over-anxiety about the
music, but reminded himself that the reason for his passion was the meaning of the words.

2. What does St. Basil say about playing instruments? What does St. John Chrysostom say?
3.
For St. Basil, instruments were useless and led to destructive things, such as drunkenness or worse.
The “shameful songs” of the flute and other instruments were not welcome in the church.

St. John Chrysostom was strong and assertive in his position against instruments in church worship.
With each instrument comes a different affect, causing the congregation to feel a certain way. For
him, the harp is an active instrument, relating to the five senses and five faculties of the body. The
timbrel and dance depicts unchangeable flesh, fighting against corruption, and praising God above all
else. Finally, the sounding cymbals signify the saints who have gone through fire for God. Every
instrument has specific affects, and he believed them to be unnecessary and unwanted in the worship
of God.

3. Considering the importance of instruments in many of the Psalms, how did these early Christian
leaders align their views of instruments with the encouragement in the Psalms to use instruments?

They believed that David’s original songs, played in the correct mode, had the power to “free the king
from his madness”. However, with the rise of “licentious songs”, they must avoid them at all costs,
only cultivating the kind of songs that glorify God. These would include chant and instrument-less
arrangements.

4. What do you think of the views of these Christian leaders? Why do you think they had such a
negative view of instruments, especially when it seems so clear from Scripture that
instruments should be used to worship God?
When St. John Chrysostom was talking about marriage as an honorable thing, I can understand how
they would translate that same logic over to instrumental music. Not having lyrics that are
Biblically-based, it could seem futile or not honorable to God. Because they viewed their
music as more “modern” compared to Bible times, they weren’t sure if their type of music
was still honoring God. I don’t agree, but I can understand their concern.

5. Do St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom have some insights that are useful for us today? How
can we avoid some of their errors?
I deeply respect their reverence for church music, in the sense that they would never want their
worship to become about anything else except Jesus. I think they took it to the extreme, by cutting out
certain integral aspects of worship that the Bible tells us to do. However, I think today there are parts
of worship that we should eliminate or keep in check, so that we don’t ever let it become about
ourselves. In order to avoid errors such as conceit, judgement, or jealousy, we need to check in on our
hearts every once in a while. How are we worshiping well? What could we do to redirect the focus
onto Jesus? How is He working in our lives, instead of us trying to do it on our own?

6. What is Augustine’s definition of “hymn”?

Augustine’s definition of a hymn was a new style of Western liturgy. Instead of chant, they were a
form of metrical poems, newly composed, and in strophic form. With the repeating lines, one could
include more Biblical text than before, deepening the learning coming from it.

7. What are the dangers of music, according to Augustine? Does Augustine have a valid point?
What do you think of his position?

The dangers of music, according to Augustine, are related to the self. Constantly anxious about his
own music-making. Sometimes too strict, he would eliminate the musical aspect and simply read or
chant text. He would eventually realize and remember the feeling he once had, the passion in the
melodies, and would return to the combination of song and text. On the other hand, he sometimes
would indulge too often, and needed to redirect his spirit towards God. His point is completely valid,
and I can understand. Most of the time, while I play, I forget the reason that I am there. Too caught up
in the notes and details, I lose sight of why I am there in the first place. It is an important reminder to
come back to what I am being called to do for Christ, and how I can be glorifying Him always.

8. Recall Plato’s and Aristotle’s views of music discussed in class. Do any of these church fathers
share some of Plato’s ideas? Aristotle’s? Explain.

Both of these fathers relate to Plato, in the sense that they believe music has a specific function. St.
Basil and St. John Chrysostom both relate more to Plato, thinking music to not be a pleasurable thing,
but rather for reciting the text. Augustine has more in common with Aristotle, as they both were
passionate about music, and felt things through it. Their emotions would often take over, but they
both knew how to reign it in, recognize their flaws, and redirect their hearts towards what is right.
 MUSC 307
Assignment 2: Ordo Virtutum Reaction
Due 9/29 at 11:59 p.m.
Please type your answers

Watch Hildegard von Bingen’s morality play Ordo Virtutum, then answer the following questions
thoughtfully:

1. What is your reaction to Ordo Virtutum? Did you find it relevant to your own spiritual life?

2. What lessons was Hildegard trying to teach in this drama?

3. Assess the theological accuracy of Ordo Virtutum. Does it accord with Scripture? Are there any
ideas in it that do not agree with Scripture?

4. Do you think this format was an effective means of communicating these ideas to Hildegard’s
contemporaries? Why or why not? Would it be effective today? Why or why not?

5. Imagine that you have been asked to present to a congregation the ideas that Hildegard expresses
in Ordo Virtutum. How would you go about presenting them?
 MUSC 307
Assignment 3: Listening journal
12/8 at 11:59 p.m.
Please type your responses

This project is designed to give you the opportunity to further explore music written before 1680 you
find of interest. Below is a list of composers and pieces as suggestions for further listening. You may
choose from this list, or you may choose other pieces by composers studied in this class. If you are
interested in studying works by composers not on this list or studied in class, you must get approval
from me first.

1. Choose a total of 2.5 hours (i.e., 150 minutes) of music.

2. Listen to each selection carefully.
3. For each selection, note the composer, piece, genre and the day and time you listened to the piece.
4. For each piece provide a short response, including some or all of the following: your reaction to
each selection, how the piece relates to pieces or concepts studied during the semester, and
observations you made about the musical characteristics of the piece. I do not expect you to write in
great detail about these pieces. Rather, I want you to show me that you listened carefully to each
selection.

Gregorian chant
Troubador and Trouvère songs
Notre Dame School (Léonin; Pérotin)
Ars antiqua motets
Machaut: chansons, motets
Giovanni da Firenza: madrigals
Jacopo da Bologna: madrigals
Landini: ballate
Music of the ars subtilior (Baude Cordier, Solage)
Ciconia
Dunstable: motets, Masses, Mass sections
Leonel Power
Dufay: chansons, Masses
Ockeghem: Masses, motets
Josquin
Isaac
Obrecht
Willaert: motets, madrigals, Masses
Gombert: motets
Rore: Madrigals
Wert: madrigals
Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore, Magnificat settings, chorale settings
Schütz: Sacred Symphonies, Psalmen Davids
Giovanni Gabrieli
Giulio Caccini: madrigals
Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610, Madrigals (any not studied in class), operas (other than Orfeo), etc...
Lully