Every Sunday morning churches all over the world get together and sing praise and worship music. All different languages, different styles, different instruments, different songs, different dynamics of sounds and harmonies. Beautiful.
Except in America or so it would seem.
African Americans like different types of music than white people. Their harmonies are different too. White people like their worship more sedate or more like a rock band. African Americans love gospel and syncopation. I swear, the white church just discovered syncopation. It's awkward for us.
Sunday mornings are called the most divisive day of the week. I say it's because of the preferential style of music. I wonder if one day we will all relax and just do music. Some Spanish, some gospel, some rock and roll and some lovely hymns with all that beautiful poetry and theology.
Personally, I would love to sing a pretty African chorus in the native language. Of course, I would want to know what I'm singing--I'm not completely nuts. But I think that singing an African chorus or a Chinese chorus would help me to feel a little connected with my church around the world. I know they are there and I wish I knew them and could pray for them.
It seems like music could connect us together in the here and now. Maybe one day.
1 comment:
I sat on the steps of a packed church in Tahiti just to listen to the singing. Baptist harmonies, simple and soothing.
Another time in Soe Timor, I was awoken at 4AM by the Mullah chanting with a thousand watts of power, reminding the whole town it was time to start the day's rituals.
I found that intrusive and I wondered if I was not the only one... but I was leaving later that day while those other dissenters were stuck with it.
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