The effect of instrumental music on congregational singing (R. L. Dabney)

[Reformed Covenanter]

They [musical instruments] tend usually to choke congregational singing, and thus to rob the body of God's people of their God-given right to praise him in his sanctuary. They almost always help to foster anti-scriptural styles of church music, debauching to the taste, and obstructive, instead of assisting, to true devotional feelings.

Robert L. Dabney, ‘Girardeau’s “Instrumental Music in Public Worship”’, Presbyterian Quarterly, 3, no. 9 (July 1889), p. 466.

 

[Logan]

Interestingly to me, I was speaking with a music minister a couple of years ago and he noted how difficult it was to get people engaged and actually singing. He felt like the instruments were encouraging everyone to be passive listeners rather than actually aiding them. Even though he was a very gifted musician, he was considering trying to move to acapella purely for practical purposes.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

Interestingly to me, I was speaking with a music minister a couple of years ago and he noted how difficult it was to get people engaged and actually singing. He felt like the instruments were encouraging everyone to be passive listeners rather than actually aiding them. Even though he was a very gifted musician, he was considering trying to move to acapella purely for practical purposes.

I have noticed that it is especially true with more modern forms of worship. In my place, those leading the praise sometimes stop playing so that you can hear the congregation singing. More often than not, you cannot hear them very well. For my part, I only really learned how to sing when I got used to singing psalms without musical accompaniment. Maybe not everyone is cut out to sing with instruments?

 

[C. M. Sheffield]

In God's providence, our church has sung without accompaniment for the last five or six years. While we are praying that God would supply us with a pianist, we nonetheless have a congregation that sings out most beautifully.

 

[Pergamum]

My singing needs to be choked lest others gag.

 

[Deleted member 11889]

My singing needs to be choked lest others gag.

Oh @Pergamum, it's not just your singing.

 

[B.L.]

They [musical instruments] tend usually to choke congregational singing, and thus to rob the body of God's people of their God-given right to praise him in his sanctuary. They almost always help to foster anti-scriptural styles of church music, debauching to the taste, and obstructive, instead of assisting, to true devotional feelings.

This is a topic I've been hammering home with my children lately, especially my oldest who is active in our church's youth programs. However, regardless of whether it's corporate worship with the entire body or the mid-week youth service, the music has increasingly become more "concert-like" where for some dumb reason folks must think God is hard of hearing because the music is turned up so loud I can feel my liver vibrating and I can't hear a single word coming out of my mouth. Couple the abuse of musical instruments with the increasingly hollow and empty lyrics and the time of singing serves as a hindrance to true worship and fails to edify altogether.

It's terribly sad to gather for corporate worship and during the time of lifting up our voices in song only a small handful of performers are "leading" while some join in singing while others stand passively by.

I've really appreciated listening to Ken Myers discuss music in his Mars Hill Audio program.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

This is a topic I've been hammering home with my children lately, especially my oldest who is active in our church's youth programs. However, regardless of whether it's corporate worship with the entire body or the mid-week youth service, the music has increasingly become more "concert-like" where for some dumb reason folks must think God is hard of hearing because the music is turned up so loud I can feel my liver vibrating and I can't hear a single word coming out of my mouth. Couple the abuse of musical instruments with the increasingly hollow and empty lyrics and the time of singing serves as a hindrance to true worship and fails to edify altogether.

It's terribly sad to gather for corporate worship and during the time of lifting up our voices in song only a small handful of performers are "leading" while some join in singing while others stand passively by.

I've really appreciated listening to Ken Myers discuss music in his Mars Hill Audio program.

Yes, I can very much relate to this experience. As someone who (usually) stands in silence during the singing - except on the extremely rare occasion that a psalm is sung - you really do notice these things. The needless loudness of much contemporary music is offensive even to decency and good taste. When musicians were practising before a service I once said, to paraphrase the late Prince Philip, "Don't stand here too long or we will all have burst ear-drums."