Studying Congregational Music: Chapter 1
“Liturgical historians and other scholars who employ their methods make a useful contribution when they investigate the lyrics of congregational songs.
Specifically, what lyrical analysis contributes is a sense of what people value and love about the God they are worshiping.”
In Case You Don’t Have a Case: Reflections on Methods for Studying Congregational Song in Liturgical History
By Lester Ruth
Abstract
For a variety of reasons, liturgical historians are exceptional among those who study congregational song because their tendency has been to not consider music in its enacted, congregational setting. Liturgical historians approach music not by means of its sound but by its lingering visual presence, especially as written lyrics. Thus, one common method is to look at song lyrics, both individually and collectively as presented in works like hymnals, as theological documents. By looking at the songs of various American evangelicals, this chapter suggests the possibility of isolating lyrics as examinable historical documents as a way of contributing to well-rounded studies of congregational song. Rather than see worship songs as clear statements of theology, however, a case is made that they are best seen as evidence of evangelical piety, what evangelical worshipers enjoy and love about God, which is related to but different from their theology. Focusing on the poetic nature of lyrics and utilizing Augustine’s definition of a worship song, this chapter suggests that a lyric is theology in the form of love expressed. Lyrics are windows into affections regarding God and can be utilized toward studying a people’s worship life and piety. Liturgical traditions—like many American evangelicals of Free Church worship traditions—that would otherwise eschew liturgical texts as an anathema to true worship, yet allow their song lyrics to be written, are evidence of the exceptional nature of lyrics if studied for the limited goal of assessing the shape of and reasons for affections toward God.