"The Christian liturgy was born singing and has never ceased to sing."

(Joseph Gelineau, "Music and Singing in the Liturgy")

Music is a treasure of the people of God that has held a place of singular honor from Old Testament times to the present as a principal means by which praise and adoration are offered to God in communal worship. The psalter and other hymns of Israel testify to the power of vocal and instrumental music as artistic forms nobly suited to the celebration of God's saving deeds. In the New Testament, from the song of Mary to the hymn of the angels at Jesus' birth to Paul's great hymns about Christ to the trumpets and victorious doxology of the heavenly host in the book of Revelation, God's love for humanity is proclaimed in
music that continues to fill the spheres.

The literature of the church of the first four centuries echoes the Bible's “joyful noise" and provides magnificent hymns. Augustine, a champion of sacred music, believed that those who sing pray twice. The Protestant reformers of the sixteenth century, although they held different views on the use of organs and other musical instruments, affirmed the singing of psalms as one means by which the priesthood of all believers may be expressed. The Roman Catholic Church shares this view and has declared boldly that
“the music tradition of the universal church is a treasure of immeasurable value, greater even than that of any other art.”

(Our tradition)... honors the place of music in the continuing pilgrimage of the people of God and invites musicians to employ their art fully in the worship life of the church. Opportunity is given for the singing of hymns, psalms, anthems, or other parts of the liturgy. Provision is made for instrumental music, including the sounds of instruments other than the organ. Choirs, whether large or small in number, have a special
responsibility to enrich the services with anthems and to lead the people in congregational singing. Musicians who are diligent stewards of their art are knowledgeable concerning diverse ways of presenting hymns and psalms. They are able to open to the worshiping community the vast treasury of the church's sacred music.

It is the "task of the musician to bear the word faithfully," through music; it is the task of
the worshiping congregation to offer musicians cooperation and support. This requires an openness to learn new hymns and a willingness to grow in the breadth of understanding and appreciation of diverse styles of music. It calls for patience with congregational rehearsals and the commitment to serve on music committees, sing in choirs, and provide for the cost of the ministry of music.

Through full partnership in this ministry, the worshiping congregation is able to become an anthem of praise to God in words, acts, and sounds that unite the church in heaven and on earth.

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Used by permission.