Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

What is Singing?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, we continue our series on music and singing in the church.

But what is singing anyway?

Well, again, Luther writes,
After all, the gift of language combined with the gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music, namely, by proclaiming [the Word of God] through music and by providing sweet melodies with words.

In the simplest terms, singing is the joining of words and music. Singing makes your voice your greatest instrument!

Now, in the church, there are a few different singing styles we use most often: homophonic and polyphonic singing, and what is known as chanting.

Let’s begin with homophonic singing.

If we break down the word homophonic, the etymology or origin of the first part of the word “Homo” means one or the same. So, homophonic singing is characterized by a clear melody and unified harmony of voices. We use this type of singing with the hymns of the church.

As time passes, our Sunday School choir might start singing music that can be classified as polyphonic. This singing style involves multiple melodies coming together to create a rich, interwoven sound. A popular song many of you may have recently heard that fits this type of music is from the movie Encanto, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” If you listen to the song, you’ll notice how there is a lot happening all at once, but together, it creates a wonderfully catchy tune.

The last form of singing in the church is what we call “Chanting.” The interesting thing is that the word Chant literally means “To Sing.” Chanting is the scriptural and historical approach to music that differs from hymns and is meant to support the text of Scripture. This means that the words determine the rhythm and where emphasis falls on the text. Contrary to popular belief, chanting is not Roman Catholic and dates back to the Old Testament, but more on that in the coming weeks.

Alright, so now the task is for you to listen to our singing in the days and weeks to come and pick out whether it’s homophonic, polyphonic, or a chant. But don’t worry, there won’t be a test!

In Christ,
Pastor Rogness