THE CHRISTIAN FATHERS

AND CHRISTIAN MUSIC

Moreover, they assert that the people have been beguiled by the
st1·ains of my hymns. I deny 1101 this either. It is a lofty strain
than which nothing is more'powerful. For U'hat is more powerful
than the confession of the Trinity, which is daily celebrated by
the mo11th of the entire people?
-ST. AMBROSE

In the continuous series of renascences of the human spirit, whether in art,

literature, or philosophy, the past has been sought out and analyzed as a
purer expression of all that is permanent and of enduring value. This
analysis leads to an attempted imitation ; the "originality" of this imitation
can be a barometer of the fecundity of the movement-if such an idea is
not paradoxical. A few examples, not in any order of importance, come to
mind readily: St. Augustine's adaptation of Plato, the Thomistic synthesis
of Aristotle, the humanistic ideals of the European Renaissance including
the birth of opera as a misguided resurrection of Greek drama, the belated
influence of Shakespeare on continental theater, the idealization of the
Christianity of the Middle Ages by nineteenth century romanticists and,
as an accompanying development, renewed interest in the liturgy. One
could safely say that there is almost no liturgy without music ; such does
not exist except in a few circumstances. By force of circumstance the West-
ern Church was compelled to substitute a recited Eucharistic Liturgy or
"Low Mass" for the proper celebration of the sacred mysteries with full
choral participation. This latter can never be considered the norm of wor-
ship. In recent years, action has been taken most successfully to restore
the singing Church of early Christianity inspired by Augustine's oft-
quoted dictum, "He who sings prays twice." Revival of interest in liturgical
chant is inseparable from the whole liturgical movement; it alone ideally
expresses all the aspects of the virtue of religion. I do not believe that we
are so remote, spiritually or aesthetically, from the period which saw the
rise of Christian liturgy and song that we cannot appreciate their ideals
and incorporate them in a comprehensive view of sacred music valid for
the present period of transition and beyond.
 CHRISTIAN MUSIC 225

It is with this in mind that we shall examine .the writings of the

Fathers on music, consider the various historical contexts, and infer some
principles to guide sacred music in the Church today. One might object
that we really have no exact knowledge of the music which the Fathers
heard and, consequently, must refrain from applying their value judge-
ments to the current situation. In this respect the following facts should
be recalled: first, much as it may vex the musicologist (for whom the
Fathers are about the only source of contemporary musical information)
their discussions do not concern themselves with technical, formal, or aes-
thetic elements but rather with music's ethical effects, whether good or ill.
Second, music in the Church has an unbroken history in which the broad
outlines of its evolution can be traced and the accretions of various periods
stratified, thereby defining primitive practice. Moreover, the restoration
of chant now in the process of completion puts us in a fortunate position
to hear the melodies in more or less early versions, some of which may
be dose to practice in the patristic age.
Early Christian music stands at the confluence of two great streams
of musical culture: the one, Judaic ; the other, Graeco-Roman. From the
Jews the infant Church borrowed psalmody and the methods of its per-
formance, e.g., a dialogue between two choirs or between soloist (cantor)
and choir. Not a few of the simpler melodic formulae are thought to reach
back to the Synagogue. The contribution of the Hellenic world was two-
fold: theoretical and aesthetic writings of great prestige and a decadent
and perverted musical practice recognized as such by both cultured pagans
and Christians. Gone forever were the glories described by Plato and
exemplified in the great dramas (whose musical portions had already been
lost) . The music of pagan rites was crude and orgiastic; that which accom-
panied the immoral spectacles was worse still:

Yea, and in that place, the theater, there are foul words and
fouler gestures, and the dressing of the hair has the same pur-
pose, and the gait, and the costume, and the voice, and the lan-
guishing movement of the limbs, and the rollings of the eyes, and
the flutes, and the pipes, and the action, and the plots and every-
thing, in short, is full of the utmost licentiousness.

Thus spoke their most vigorous opponent, St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch
of Constantinople. A fuller description of the musical milieu during those
226 DOMINICAN A

first centuries is not possible here. Rather, we tum to an examination of

the positive precepts of the Fathers on sacred music.

T he Purpose of Christian Music

Just to clear the ground, we cite an objection of the Egyptian abbot,
Pambo:

Woe is upon us, 0 son, for the days are come in which monks
shall relinquish the wholesome food given by the Holy Ghost,
and seek after words and tunes. What repentance, what tears
proceed from hymns? What repentance can there be in a monk
who, whether situated in the church or in his cell, lifts up his
voice like a bull?

In other words, why not avoid a great many difficulties and inconveniences
and do without music altogether-a not infrequent suggestion today. It
seems that a silent rosary in a silent church, accompanied by the celebra-
tion of Low Mass by an almost silent priest is more attractive to the Ameri-
can Catholic than the proper performance of liturgical functions with
everyone taking his musical part. Even the dialogue Mass is less than
ideal, but once this stage has been mastered there is no reason why the
Mass cannot be sung to the most simple chants whenever it is celebrated.
The melodies for the Ordinary of the Mass recommended by the Sacred
Congregation of Rites (Sept. 3, 1958) are much simpler than current
s'how tunes of which the average American has a considerable repertoire.
It is most revealing that the Fathers did not consider an apologia for
music in divine worship to be necessary ; in view of St. Paul's exhortation
to the Ephesians, " ... be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your hearts to the Lord," such an explanation would be superfluous. St.
Augustine says only that, " In many places in Sacred Scripture we find
both number and music mentioned with honor." Evidence of a more posi-
tive attitude is Chrysostom's statement :

God, having seen that most men were tepid and little disposed to
read spiritual things, unwilling to bear pain, wished to make their
work more pleasant ; he added melody to the prophetic words so
that, attracted by the rhythm of the chant, all would sing ferv-
ently the holy hymns (Commentary on Ps. 41).
 CHRISTIAN MUSIC 227

Plato, in legislating for the ideal state, established some rigorous con-
stitutions on music. Only virile harmonies suitable for the formation of
warriors could be permitted. He justifies his course:

'And is it not for this reason, Glaucon,' said I, 'that education

in music is most sovereign, because more than anything else
rhythm and harmony find their way to inmost soul and take
strongest hold upon it, bringing with them and imparting grace,
if one is rightly trained, and otherwise the contrary?'

Aristotle adopted a more moderate position, allowing even vulgar music

to auditors whom it suited. Sceptics minimized the educational value of
music, seeing in it only a diversion, a recreation. The Fathers could not
share this point of view. The dangers of brutalizing pagan music were too
great, its inroads in the Christian community too evident, and the powerful
effect of true Christian song too real to be disregarded. Since we are at-
tempting to draw practical conclusions this latter is worthy of consideration.
The statements of Ambrose and Chrysostom already quoted bear witness
to the high value which they both gave to music. St. Basil believed that
the Holy Spirit, gently deceiving men, 'had instituted religious music for
them so that "in reality, they might instruct their souls while they believe
they are only singing melodies." The importance of hymns as bearers of
doctrine has long been recognized and this principle underlies the reform
of hymnody which is being carried forward in many Christian communions.
The death knell has been rung for the sentimental, supersaccharine tunes
and banal verses which not only impart no solid doctrine, but also ruin the
musical judgment of those who sing them.

"Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs"

While traces of hymns can be found in the text of the New Testa-
ment, orthodox Christian hymnody can truly be said to begin with St.
Ephraem the Syrian (308-3 73). The hymn was a form of popular devo-
tion and the Gnostics had used it with telling results. The clever deacon
saw 'his opportunity and turned their own weapons against them. If the
heretics used popular melodies, so would he ; if their hymns were sung
by women's choruses, his would be, too. After Hilary of Poitiers failed,
St. Ambrose succeeded in setting a standard pattern for the hymn and
community religious singing in the West. So well did his rhythms suit
Western ears that he found a host of imitators, so much so that the usual
228 DOMINICAN A

name for a hymn was an Ambrosianum. Although not an official part of

the Roman Liturgy, the hymn flourished throughout the early Middle Ages
until a decline in the thirteenth century. Vernacular hymnody did not take
on life until the Reformation, some of whose adherents had a veritable
genius for excellent melody and religious poetry. The trend in modern
Catholic hymnals is eclectic, incorporating good material wherever it can
be found. St. Ephraem's technique was much the same, to "baptize" any
text or melody he thought useful with words of orthodox faith. For some
reason the hymn was considered in some respects superior to even the
psalms: "Indeed, the powers on high sing hymns, not psalms." In com-
menting on the text, "a hymn for all his saints" (Ps. 148), he proposes
his famous definition:

Do you know what a hymn is? It is song with praise of God. If

you praise God and do not sing, you do not speak a hymn; if
you praise anything not related to the praise of God, you do not
speak a hymn even if you should praise by singing. A hymn
therefore has these three things: song, praise, and God.

St. Paul's instruction to the Church at Ephesus included the singing

of spiritual songs. What, exactly, were these? The general opinion is that
this is a reference to long, rhapsodic vocalizations on a single vowel much
like that of the Alleluia in the Roman Mass, but more extended and im-
provised by the singer as he went along, "so that it seems that he, filled
with excessive joy, cannot express in words the subject of that joy" (St.
Augustine on Ps. 99) . The admittance of such a form to Christian worship
could not be without reservation. The Oriental color inherent in the deco-
rative and sensuous arabesques of wordless melody could carry a hint of
pagan orgies. Nevertheless, certain types of ornamented chant were tradi-
tional in the Synagogue, especially in solo psalmody-at least this much
was approved. Imitation of pagans, on the other hand was to be scrupu-
lously avoided: "we rejoice in confession [of the faith] ; they, in con-
fusion." The jubilus was sanctioned, therefore, but only in a spiritual sense
as the pure expression of a contemplative spirit to whom conventional
modes of communication are inadequate.

Preeminence of Psalmody
The reader will recall that St. Paul gives first place to the singing of
psalms; "D avid is first, middle, and last" with all of the Fathers. The bene-
 CHRISTIAN MUSIC 229

ficial effects which they attribute to the psalms pertain to them most proper-
ly when they are sung. Without doubt the words of the Holy Spirit are
the essence but the sacred melodies are a powerful aid to their propaga-
tion and comprehension; "I feel that the flame of piety is kindled in a
more holy and fervent way by these sacred words when they are sung than
if they were not sung" (Confessions of St. Augustine: X, 33) . The texts
carried with them the methods of performance in use among contemporary
Jews. These inherited techniques are at the root of everything sung at Mass
and in the Divine Office, parts of which are incomprehensible without some
knowledge of the musical forms from which they stem. The most simple
style of the period probably differed little from the psalm tones, the melodic
formulae used in the singing of entire psalms, in use today.
If simplicity of execution was desirable, so was continuance of ancient
tradition, humble communal prayer, and a weapon against pagan instru-
mental music. All of these were found in the psalms to a superior degree.
let St. Basil represent the Fathers' elo gia of the Book of Psalms:

A psalm chases demons and attracts the aid of angels. It is a

weapon against the fears of night and a respite from the fatigues
of the day; it is a help for those who are still weak in spirit, an
adornment for those who are still in the flower of youth, a con-
solation for the aged, finery most becoming women. Psalmody
populates deserts, gives to market-days a serious character. For
beginners it is a beginning, for those who are more advanced a
means of progress, for those who are already confirmed a bul-
wark. It is the voice of the Church. A psalm makes feasts joyful;
it gives to grief the quality most fitting before God. A psalm
can even cause tears to flow from a heart of stone. It is the work
of angels, heavenly intercourse, spiritual incense . . . (First
Homily on the Psalms).

Although we might not choose the same expressions as the venerable

bishop of Caesarea, we, together with all Christians, accord the psalms a
preeminent place in worship, a place which they have always held. If they
are not appreciated as much as they ought it is not because they have no
appeal to our civilization; the opportunity to make that appeal has been
denied them. Inertia and a proliferation of congregational music have
stalled efforts until recently but congregational hymns and psalmody are
making heartening progress in the United States. Success in France has
230 DOMINICAN A

been astounding. The psalms sometimes replace popular music as an ac-

companiment to everyday tasks in a way which recalls Chrysostom's de-
scription of their use in his time. No one will deny that the Gregorian
psalm tones are models of simplicity and directness but it is generally con-
ceded that they do not suit the accentual nature of modern languages.
A fortiori this is true of chant pieces more elaborate than the psalm tones
are. Attempts to cast vernacular psalmody in a suitable musical framework
have been made but not successfully in the case of, for example, English
words added to a melody which grew organically from the original Latin
words and respects its accent system. In the sixteenth century the interest
of the reformers was centered on a vernacular liturgy. Two methods of
psalmody were evolved. One, Calvinist, consisted in versifying the text and
setting the resulting poem to a hymn tune; the other, Anglican, in har-
monizing traditional psalm formulae and establishing metrical rhythm at
the ends of lines. In the first method the words of Sacred Scripture are
not respected; in the second, the text is forced into a rigid framework
which does not entirely suit its structure as prose. Father Joseph Gelineau,
in his skillful translation of the Book of Psalms for the "Bible de Jerusa-
lem," carefully preserved the basic rhythms of Hebrew poetry, e.g., each
half verse has an equal number of accents but not necessarily of syllables.
This authentic translation, joined to folk-like melodies, has given birth to
a new concept in religious music. Not at all difficult, these psalms can be
sung by any congregation willing to verify the happy experience of St.
Ambrose that, in the psalms, "doctrine and grace vie to outdo each other."

Musical Instruments
The Fathers commented most profusely regarding musical instruments,
particularly those mentioned in the Old Testament. Their use in the Temple
was an indication of divine approval but these same instruments had be-
come so closely identified with pagan deities that their use by early Chris-
tians would be ill-advised. The Fathers found themselves in an embarrass-
ing position ; after all, was there not the command to "blow the trumpet
at the new moon ... an ordinance of the God of Jacob"? It must be under-
stood that by itself there is no essentially secular instrument; it becomes so
by association. All of the popular instruments of patristic times were in one
way or another connected with pagan ritual, funeral ceremonies, and licen-
tious theatrical presentations. The aulos or reed-pipe was universally ab-
horred because of its identification with the orgies celebrated in honor of
Dionysius and Cybele and its function as the principal instrument of the
 CHRISTIAN MUSIC 231

theater. Ranked with the pompa diaboli, it was condemned as an instrument

which "contemners of the fear of God were wont to use in the choruses
at their festive assemblies" and likened to the serpent which tempted Eve.
Since it was a non-biblical instrument such attacks, justified as they were,
could not be refuted. Those instruments actually mentioned in the Old
Testament as forming part of the Temple orchestra were considered sym-
bolical of Christian verities. In time the precise signification of each be-
came stereotyped. Another explanation was that God had allowed the
Jews the use of this music because of their weakness. This may not be far
from the truth, for did not the Israelites in the desert wish to worship
God in the form of a calf and with the rattles, singing, and dancing of
the Egyptian cult of Isis with which they were familiar? But still, the in-
struments were there and God had allowed their use; that all were not
considered dangerous is evidenced by the presence of the kithara, a lyra-
shaped instrument with two large, upright arms, in the heavenly liturgy
of the Apocalypse and its depiction on Christian sarcophagi in the hands
of the departed. The psaltery, a string instrument shaped like an inverted
Greek delta with the sound box in the upper part, lent itself to this symbol:

Although there are many musical instruments, the prophet made

this Book of Psalms suited to the psaltery, as it is called, reveal-
ing, it seems to me, the grace from on high which sounded in him
through the Holy Spirit, since this alone, of all musical instru-
ments has the source of its sound above (St. Basil: Homily on
the First Psalm).

St. Augustine, in commenting on the orchestral Psalm 150, unites the

functions of the two instruments:

The psaltery praises God with its upper part; the kithara, with its
lower part-a symbol of the glorification by heavenly and earthly
creatures of Him who made both heaven and earth.

Suitable interpretations were attached to all the instruments mentioned in

the Old Testament. The taut skin of the tympanum could represent the
annihilation of concupiscence, the destruction of the body, or its resur-
rection; the cymbal, a pure soul vivified by the salvation of Christ; the
trumpet, the omnipotent word of God or the preaching of the apostles.
232 DOMINICANA

Without a doubt the human voice far surpasses any soulless instrument in
its expressive capabilities:
We sing God's praise with living psaltery for more pleasant and
dear to God than any instrument is the harmony of the whole
Christian people. Our kithara is the whole body, by whose move-
ment and action the soul sings a fitting hymn to God, and our
tenstringed psaltery is the veneration of the Holy Spirit by the
five senses of the body and the five virtues of the soul (Eusebius).

Patristic Aesthetics
A subject which has aroused great interest is that of musical aesthetics.
Since the Fathers' interest in music was based on its usefulness to Chris-
tianity's missionary effort or the effect it could have on individuals they
do not consider it from the point of view of an art cultivated for its own
values. The contemporary music which they heard was in a depraved con-
dition and gave little intimation of greatness. We will, however, attempt
to derive an aesthetic of Catholic music from both literary and historical
documents. Let us divide the area of musical criticism into three parts
based on the objects to which attention is directed, either to the formal
element, the expressionistic element, or the subjective element. We have
already mentioned the dearth of formal analysis in antiquity. St. Augustine
is somewhat of an exception but we will be disappointed if we look to
his treatise De Musica for detailed information. It is really a tract on classi-
cal versification, the first five books of which were written before his con-
version and, hence, before his acquaintance with Christian music. Aris-
toxenus (fl. 330 B.C.) began an investigation such as would interest us
here but he had little influence on the Greek authors from whom the
Fathers received their musical knowledge. Theodore Gerold, in Les peres
de /'eglise et Ia mttsique, can say only that "for Augustine, symmetrical and
well proportioned development are essential in a musical composition"
(p. 136). In the relationship between words and music the former are
considered more important. Augustine says: "This verse which we have
cited: Deus creator omnium [a hymn by St. Ambrose] will not only be
agreeable to the ear by its sound but event more so to the soul by the whole-
some truth which it expresses." Periods of transition are apt to be awkward
and the structure of a composition was not so important as its suitability
for a desired effect.
Conscious realization of the expressive value of religious music did
not arise until words and music came to be regarded as separate entities,
 CHRISTIAN MU SIC 233

the latter pursuing an independent, extra-liturgical development. A com-

plete break was achieved by the time the Renaissance came to a dose.
Music was now conceived as the logical unfolding of melodic and har-
monic elements independent of any text. The K yrie could be set as an
Italian overture and any section of the Mass was suitable for a richly de-
veloped aria. This situation could not endure forever. Ecclesiastical pres-
sures and an enlightened consciousness on the part of musicians themselves
led to a search for a correct and proper interpretive setting of the sacred
texts-a problem unknown during the formative stages of chant when
words and music were one. Idiomatic musical devices are necessary for
the unification of an extended composition but the work ought not to be
based entirely on their exploitation. An "official" sacred style just cannot
exist; modal harmonies, archaic effects, snatches of chant melodies do not
sanctify a musical expression devoid cif artistic merit. The style of Palestrina
has frequently been cited, even in official documents, as the polyphonic
ideal of the liturgical spirit. Even though his Masses are consummate mas-
treworks of their type, many believe that he reaches greater heights of
eloquence in the motets and the settings from the Canticle of Canticles.
Yet these latter are not notable for any idiomatic use of chant melodies
or strict modality. Palestrina is at his best when he is most personal.
The Masses of Haydn, Mozart, and other classical masters have often
been denounced as operatic and unfit for Catholic worship. Such a view
is understandable as a reaction to the excesses of two generations ago.
However, may I submit that an age as eclectic as our own may be able to
reconcile enthusiasm for an austere liturgy with the colorful, but ofttimes
profound religiosity of these works. Many are manifestly unsuitable but
the situation deserves to be scrutinized more thoroughly. More pertinent
to our discussion is an appraisal of the expressiveness of Gregorian Chant.
Some elaborate analyses would give the impression that this placid cantilena
is a seething cauldron of emotion erupting at every phrase. Certainly this
is a misapplication of current theories of musical analysis and criticism.
Chants, especially the more ancient ones and therefore those most similar
to the ones the Fathers heard, are not "expressive" in the commonly ac-
cepted sense of a personal, emotionally colored setting of a text-such a
practice would be inimical to that certain universality of the liturgy. The
tracts, a very ancient form of Mass chant, consist almost entirely of small
melodic fragments distributed in patterns according to the length of the
text. Texts of the most dissimilar meanings, then, receive almost identical
melodies. As is well known, the tracts of the Easter Vigil and that of the
234 DOMINICANA

Requiem Mass have substantially the same melody; most of the Office
antiphons are reducible to less than fifty type-melodies and other examples
are not lacking.

The Aesthetic of Sacred Chant

From the foregoing it ought not to be inferred that a sympathetic
portrayal of the words is deliberately avoided. Many pieces are richly ex-
pressive. Otherwise the chant would not be the sublime human interpreta-
tion of divine realities which it is. The Gradual for the feast of the
Epiphany contains an ecstatic outburst at the words, "Up, and shine, Jeru-
salem;" the melody of the Good Friday Response, T enebrae, slowly lifts
itself by stages to that acute cry, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
There is scarcely anything more sombre than the dark stirring which begins
the Offertory, De profttndis. To the impassive psalmody, however, every
emotion is the same. The absence or presence of expression is clarified by
a passage from Dionysius the Areopagite: " .. . the heavenly hymns, being
inaudible to human ears, are revealed to the prophets and saints by the
lower echelons of the celestial hierarchy as psalms and hymns. " The hym-
nodist was merely a transcriber whose duty it was to deviate as little as
possible from the heavenly archetypes presented to him through tradition.
Slight amplifications and embellishments were permitted but never to the
degree that a personal work of art was created. A mere mortal could not
hope to excel the heavenly hosts in the sung praise of God but that did
not excuse him from making every effort to excute his chants as perfectly
as possible. A virtuous life is far more important than a beautiful voice
and Chrysostom, for one, is prepared to excuse many faults in a modest
soul. Augustine will not allow us to forget that bad singing is pleasing to
neither God nor man, that if we tremble at the thought of performing
before a skilled musician how much more so before God to whose perfect
ears the most perfect human achievement is riddled with defects. In a
society such as ours which demands excellence, good intentions are defi-
nitely not an explanation for a shoddy performance of cheap music. Com-
positions which would be laughed out of a concert hall are shameful
offerings to the King of kings. Such works, heard all too frequently, edify
no one. Far from having any proselytizing value, a value which St. Basil
thought important in music, they actually drive away prospective converts.
We do no more than follow the spirit of the Fathers in demanding better
things from composers and musicians.
Appreciation for the subjective factors in music are not absent from
 CHRISTIAN MU SIC 235

the Fathers' wntmgs. The effect, good or bad, of music on performers

and audience were too patent to be ignored. Christian music ought to awake
in those who hear it a response which will lead them to the practice of a
life of virtue. Z eal for music to nurture Christian ideals and, before all
else, to give fitting glory to God. St. Augustine is the most famous witness
to the powerful effect of music on souls. Speaking of St. Ambrose's church
in Milan he says,

How greatly did I weep in thy hymns and canticles, deeply moved
by the voices of thy sweet-speaking church! The voices flowed
into mine ears, and the truth was poured forth into my heart,
whence the agitation of my piety overflowed, and my tears ran
over, and blessed was I therein.

This attitude is reminiscent of Chrysostom's words on the value of sacred

music.
Such is a very cursory survey on a period which profoundly influenced
the subsequent course of western music. Folk and popular elements existed
but they could not enter into the mai n stream of musical culture except
through incorporation in the only body of music which led a conscious,
independent life of its own-Christian Chant. The Church Fathers were
the most influential thinkers and administrators of the age. Their attitudes
shaped the course of music in their own time and far into the future. It
is from the foundation they helped to erect that the glorious tonal edifices
of Palestrina and Bach spring. Indeed, all music has its roots in their
foundation. To them we pay our debt of gratitude and hope that their
influence will be a living one in the revival of sacred music and the sacred
liturgy.
- Antoninus Dyer, O.P.