THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING…
Since I had just finished stressing my belief that in pop music, much of the ‘right’ kind of pronunciation is kind of ‘conversational,’ I was tempted to say, “Of Course.” That’s what I really wanted to say. I was feeling a little like rattling her cage. Frankly, I get this kind of question a lot, from those classically schooled in the finer points of choral presentation. But I thought about it, and my more carefully considered answer was the always safe statement, “It depends.” It seemed like a bigger issue might be involved.
I think we can all agree that the bottom-line in worship is to ‘worship the Father in spirit and truth.” (Jesus, John 4).
What comes next?
Many church musicians would say, either in word or through practice, that the next most important thing is in fact musical integrity. I recently heard of an American choir director who believed it was his duty to celebrate Mozart’s 250th birthday in 2006 by doing a new Mozart piece in worship each week for a year. Nothing else mattered. And those pieces had better be presented accurately!
Well, I agree with the ‘accurately’ part. What I don’t agree with is the need to focus unnecessarily, at least outside of Salzburg, on the legacy of a single musician, no matter how skilled or popular in his day. It’s not about Mozart, or anyone else. It’s about Jesus.
In the book “God’s Singers,” I make a point of stating my belief that it is a worship leader’s responsibility to become fluent in his or her congregation’s musical language(s). Here’s why that’s vital:
Our second goal, after worshiping the Father in spirit and truth, ought to be most about providing our congregation with a musical language which they can understand, relate to, and use fluently in worship. It ought to feel like a natural part of them.
What I’m trying to say is, the integrity of our congregation’s worship before God is more important than the integrity of our musical presentation, although they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. But the one is unarguably more central than the other, and needs to be considered first.
Therefore, the question of whether to use a pronunciation or a song style–whether classic or pop–gives way to this more weighty one: How will our congregation process this? Will it seem foreign or natural to them, deep inside where they really live? Will it be an honest declaration, or something which makes no sense, seeming out of place–a hindrance to a heart expression of worship? That is where the answer lies.
So, it depends. Keep the main thing, the main thing.