Opus 2018-099: The Cycle Continues

As I was listening to my hymn collection I noticed that I did not recognize the selection.  That is not unusual.  I have several sets of CD’s that contain the works of 16th and 17th century hymn writers and sung by some big name choir.  What struck me was the awareness that I was experiencing the same phenomenon I observed at church when the contemporary version of worship was going on.  The music was rather uninspired and unoriginal.  I could not really tell one hymn from the next.  It wasn’t a problem of skill or content.  It was repetitious.

We make fun of 7/11 music.  It is a phenomenon of the ages.  There have always been places for repetition.  If done properly it reinforces truth and aids memory.  If done poorly it does the opposite.  For me much of what is called contemporary music does the latter.  I need to learn not to get too hysterical about it.

We are at the end of a centuries long selection process where the dull and empty hymns that were churned out have been left in the dust of history.  That is good and natural.  We are the beneficiaries of that process.  Take Charles Wesley for instance.  The number I kept coming up with for just him was over 6,000 hymns.  I don’t know about you but I don’t care how much of a genius someone is, 6,000 hymns is going to stretch creativity.  Somewhere in there are going to be a few misses.  Actually what you have are a few hits with a lot of 20th Century Worship Team material left over.

We are now in the beginning of a process of sorting through the offerings of a new generation.  It is probably normal that much of it is boring and repetitive.  It will take time for the cream to rise to the top.  I keep telling myself that through gritted teeth.

It just seems like the “worship teams” have an aversion to cream and a love of skim milk.

I will endure.

homo unius libri