The Difference Between Concert Music And Music For Worship

Although the technical aspects of music are the same for concert and worship music, the function and purpose of music in these settings is different. Understanding these differences is important for church musicians, ultimately changing the criteria by which music is selected and influencing the way in which music is rehearsed and presented. In choir lofts and parochial offices, an argument as old as the church goes on today. It focuses on the choice of music to be used in the church. On one side are those who assume that church music is to be judged in the same manner as all "good" music, namely, the music of the conservatory and concert hall. On the other side are those who assume that the criterion should be whether the music moves the people in the pews. In the heat of battle, these two sides are often pitted against one another and caricatured. In reality, both arguments involve false assumptions that obscure the real source of tension. The Church and the Concert Hall Althoug…