Soundtrack of Life

Imagine watching Star Wars or some other favorite movie with one big change: no music. The plot and characters would still be there, but we would miss that familiar music that moves the story forward.

Movie soundtracks are not random bits of music to cover dialogue or video sequences, but are often composed specifically to complement the action on the silver screen. John Williams, the movie composer, (not John Williams, the classical guitarist) is a master of this, weaving themes and variations throughout the two or so odd hours of film and then providing the continuity between the prequels and sequels. Who can forget the opening to Star Wars or the menacing Darth Vader theme? (Side note: If you happen to be a fan of movie soundtracks, the classical radio station in Portland, OR has a weekly program devoted to the music behind the movies — The Score.)

And yet, do Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader even know that there is a soundtrack backing up their lives? In the case of Darth Vader, it was a soundtrack that accompanied his entire life from birth to death. What is your soundtrack?

If you read Pastor Peters’ blog Pastoral Meanderings, you may remember his post from last week on the Liturgical Life in Leipzig and Clarksville. If you don’t read his blog, you should. Pastor Peters briefly compared the time of Bach when the music of the church was literally their accompaniment to daily life to today when “Lutheran” music (if even used) could be limited to an hour or so on Sunday morning. While Pastor Peters didn’t specifically state the question like this, I think he would concur with asking, “What is your soundtrack the rest of the week?”

Why does it matter, you ask? (That kind of sounds like Yoda, don’t you think?) It’s not an academic question. It turns out to be very practical. What we hear, just like what we read and see, influence and teach us. Does what we listen to help to sustain us in our journey from birth to death or does it conflict, muddle, or provide little value? In “Hymnody as Teacher of the Faith” Kantor Richard Resch emphasizes that music is not harmless or innocent or just entertainment. It is a powerful teacher for both good and bad, especially theology in the church. This article is particularly interesting as it discusses children and music and teaching the faith through the use and teaching of our hymnals.

I think there is merit in centering our daily soundtracks with our hymnals. As a church musician and Lutheran, next to the Bible and catechism, Lutheran Service Book is a constant companion. Whether it be singing hymns, reading hymns, humming hymns, playing hymns, playing pieces based on hymns, or listening to choral or instrumental hymn based recordings — most of it all comes back to the hymnal. The words and tunes become hardwired to the soul so that even when I don’t have a hymnal, iPod, CD, or computer, my soundtrack still works.  The words of comfort, the words of reproof, the words of joy are always there.  And I hope they remain fixed in my life as long as I live.

I understand that musicians may have an unfair advantage in this respect since we can read the notes on the page and create/play our own music. Yet, whether or not we are musically inclined, there are a number of edifying gifts that we have in both hymn and non-hymn based choral and instrumental recordings.

If you’re looking for some suggestions to build (or supplement) your soundtrack, here are a few suggestions. Pastor Peters alluded to some of his favorite recordings: the Paul Manz CDs and collection of Bach. Nathan at Southern Lutheran Kantor compiled a list of recommended church music recordings (with a few of my suggestions). While I can’t say my CD collection is the definitive or even complete collection for a Lutheran soundtrack, it might be of interest to those wanting to start one.  If you’re interested, you can find my list here.  You can also find a list of several online streaming sacred music programs here.

I’d like to end with one last thought: My intent isn’t to be legalistic and demand that we only listen to sacred music. I also listen to and support my local classical radio station and I enjoy classical, folk, Celtic, and Nordic music. What I would encourage, though, is an intentional choice in what we listen to and a recommendation to have sacred music at its core.

What is your soundtrack?

Related posts:

1. Sacred Music on the Web
2. Resources & Blogroll
3. Sacred Music – Web
4. Paul Manz – A Life Revealed
5. Survey Says: Many Religions Can Lead to Eternal Life