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Youth Column: A Crucial Connection

Youth Column: A Crucial Connection

Monday September 14 2020

Choral Scholar Jack Harris looks at the relationship between music and faith


Music is a subject that has a profound influence on many aspects of life and society, of which religion is no exception.

Throughout history, there has been a largely twofold relationship between music and religion; how religion has influenced and inspired the development of Western music, as well as the way that music has helped (and still helps today) to maintain the importance of religion in a variety of different cultures.

Many composers were deeply inspired by religious texts and practices – for instance, the works of J S Bach – and as a result much of the musical repertoire we know today has its roots firmly grounded in religion.

Multiple religious beliefs have had a significant influence on the music composed during different time periods, with some musical motifs and styles repudiated by aspects of ideology and religious thought.

As a Christian, I find the most interesting of these to be the ‘tritone’ interval, which was banned by the church for centuries due to its supposed satanic properties. A melodic triad was said to represent the Father, Son and Holy Ghost in proper balance, yet the tritone interrupted this equilibrium by dropping the top note of the triad by a semitone.

For many years, composers were prohibited from employing this musical device, but as belief around the unearthly semiotics associated with the tritone began to dissolve it became more frequently used (particularly by J S Bach). To this day, composers (most famously Leonard Bernstein in his music for West Side Story) continue to make use of the tritone as a dramatic and dissonant statement in their music, with the mysterious and supernatural reputation that religion attached to it making it a powerful harmonic device.

Music has also been a powerful vehicle for ensuring that religious texts and practices receive longevity and preservation; not only due to musical works that showcase them, but also a
variety of groups and ensembles that reflect them in their performances. ‘Mass’ and ‘Requiem’ settings are among the most popular choral formats for composers to use while writing for voices, with a vast number of composers (Bach, Mozart and Verdi to name a few) creating their own settings.

While these have no ‘textbook’ structure for composition or text, they all utilise various religious narratives as a foundation, helping to preserve these words for generations to come. Not only this, but some vocal works known as oratorios (ie ‘religious operas’) add a sense of drama that helps to bring these texts to life. The ensembles necessary to perform these are
also crucial in religion’s preservation – they expose more and more people to the stories and events that then gives them a deeper appreciation and understanding of the significance of that religion.

Therefore, I see both music and religion as subjects of great importance to one another. Both have played a crucial role in ensuring the perpetuity of the other, while ensuring that they will both hold a strong appeal to numerous groups for countless years to come.


Jack Harris is an 18 year old bass-baritone from Edinburgh. He has been a Choral Scholar at Morningside Parish Church for three years and, subject to exam results, will be awarded a Choral Scholarship with the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge in October.

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