MUSIC AND SINGING IN THE LITURGY: THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

Okeke, Basil (2016) MUSIC AND SINGING IN THE LITURGY: THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES. In: Essential Elements of Liturgical Music: A Handbook for Composers and Music Lovers. People's Creative Empowerment International (PCEI), Enugu, pp. 25-35. ISBN 978-2900-31-1

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Abstract

This paper explores the theological dimensions of music and singing in the liturgy, highlighting their essential role as more than mere aesthetic or cultural expressions. Drawing on developments from ethnomusicology and liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the study situates liturgical music within a global and inclusive understanding of music as a cultural and theological phenomenon. The paper contends that while "music is music," liturgical music is set apart by its theological character, shaped by its function within worship and its role in mediating divine presence. Liturgical music is not simply music performed during liturgy but is integrally part of the liturgical act itself, serving as both theology and sacrament. Using Mary McGann’s six theological dimensions—Trinitarian, pneumatological, sacramental, biblical, ecclesiological, and eschatological—the paper examines how music in worship participates in and reveals the mystery of God. It illustrates how music fosters communal participation (Trinitarian), invokes the Spirit (pneumatological), makes Christ present (sacramental), proclaims the Word (biblical), unites the Church (ecclesiological), and anticipates heavenly worship (eschatological). Through reflections on liturgical documents, theological texts, and experiential insights from worship, the study argues that liturgical music is an indispensable vehicle for theological expression and faith formation. Its ability to engage the senses, evoke divine presence, and enable communal response positions it as a privileged form of theological articulation within Christian worship. Thus, music and singing in the liturgy are not supplementary but constitutive of the Church’s worship and witness to God’s salvific work.

Item Type:	Book Section
Subjects:	M Music and Books on Music > M Music
Divisions:	Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Art
Depositing User:	Uchenna Eneogwe
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2025 13:53
Last Modified:	14 Jul 2025 13:53
URI:	http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/4973

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