Handmaiden of the Church

Music history students all learn the quote, "Music is the handmaiden of the church." It refers to the historic role of music in worship and liturgy. Handmaiden is a word not used much any more. It can refer to a personal maid or female servant, often serving a person of position and privilege. By extension it can refer to anything whose main purpose or essential function is to serve or assist.

The latter meaning is the sense of music as the handmaiden of the church. Music's role in worship is to assist a specific liturgical aim or goal. We do not sing or play music for the sake of the music. We do not engage in music as art for the sake of art. We are not church musicians in order to demonstrate our own musical skills, further our own goals, or thrill the listening audience.

I write this Musing on the day following the death of Pope John Paul II, and I have been interested in the role music has played in the time since his death. Upon making the brief announcement of the pope's death, the cardinal immediately led the vast crowd at St. Peter's Square in the singing of the Marian antiphon, "Salve Regina" — "Hail, O Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee we cry, banished children of Eve; to thee we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears ..." It would seem that at such a moment of profound grief and loss, we turn to music and the act of singing to allow us to express our thoughts, release our emotions, and seek comfort and hope. Words alone would serve us less effectively.

The "Salve Regina" was immediately followed by Psalm 130, "De Profundis," again chanted and sung responsively by leader and the vast assembly of people, assisted by a small choir. "Out of the depths I cry to thee ..." Thus far in the minutes following the death announcement, there has only been music — no speech. Following the singing of Psalm 130 came the tolling of the large bells of St. Peter's. As the bells rang the people stood in silence, in prayer, in private thought. Still no spoken words. I thought it notable that in the half hour following the death announcement, there were no words spoken and the only instruments played were the bells. It was the music of a capella singing that served the immediate needs of the church.

How privileged we church musicians are, not because of our musical excellence, not because of our great voices and honed instrumental abilities, not for our abilities as director or teacher, but because we are servants of the church. It is our role, through the exercise of our musical craft and art, to be servants of God and the people — in a very real sense, handmaidens. It is in that capacity that we should plan, rehearse, and lead congregational singing, choir anthems, and instrumental music in worship.