Posts

Where do we begin?

23 Oct 2023 15:19

Hello there! My name is Suzanne Carol Hager-Bellesis, but everyone calls me Suzie. I am a music teacher and church musician currently in seminary on track for ordination in the United Church of Christ. I am also a composer, a violinist, a pianist, a guitarist, a hiker, a lover of tea, I am married to a wonderful man, and a parent to a very cute white cat. I am here, on this strangely specific blog, to talk to you all about something that is always brought up, but never discussed; always fought over, but never resolved; always looked into, but never studied. I am talking about the specific musical changes that have happened within the Church and sacred Christian music due to disputes on tradition and innovation. 

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Early Christian Music: From Plainchant to Polyphony

13 Nov 2023 12:57

The Church Fathers saw how closely related instrumentation was to pagan rituals, war, and idolatry, so instruments became discouraged from playing, and then altogether banned from the church.(1) All that was left was a capella chanting music. Congregational singing came into play more as the worship service became more universally defined. They were often led by a cantor and sung in call and response. Or one half of the congregation would sing followed by the other half. Simple melodies were assigned to the congregation and complex melodies to the cantor. Singing was now the preferred form of music, but not in harmony, for that was also too Pagan, too Jewish, and too sensual. 

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Healing the Worship Wars: Traditional vs. Contemporary Sacred Music in the Church

22 Dec 2023 23:31

It appears that many Christians in the United States were raised singing hymns in their Sunday services, while many others were raised in a mega church or other such evangelical, pentecostal, baptist, or non-denominational churches singing Contemporary Praise and Worship Music. This musical divide causes a drift within churches based on opinions in musical style, liturgical style, and plays a role in what it says about the theological role within the prose of the music. The divide has become a discussion amongst the church, which I am sure most of you reading this are aware of today. Perhaps that is why you are reading this post, to receive some insight, some clarity, or some more information on the matter. Today I will be discussing the implications of the worship wars between the traditional and contemporary sacred music scenes, and theorize how we may be able to move forward as one body of Christ. I will especially be talking within the context of leading a music program within a church that struggles with wanting both contemporary and traditional music. 

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