True Art

"It has become a commonplace to say that the arts are in a bad way. We are in fact largely given over tot he entertainers and the spellbinders; and because we do not understand that these two functions do not represent the true nature of art, the true artists are, as it were, excommunicate and have no audience. But here there is not, I think, so much a lapse from a Christian esthetic as a failure ever to find and examine a real Christian esthetic based on dogma and not on ethics. This may not be a bad thing. We have at least a new line of country to explore that has not been trampled on and built over and fought over by countless generations of quarrelsome critics. What we have to start from is the Trinitarian doctrine of creative mind and the light that that doctrine throws on the true nature of images.

The great thing, I am sure, is not to be nervous about God - not to try and shut out the Lord Immanuel from any sphere of truth. Art is not he - we must not substitute art for God; yet this also is he for it is one of his images and therefore reveals his nature. Here we see in a mirror darkly - we behold only the images; elsewhere we shall see face to face, in the place where image and reality are one."

-Dorothy Sayers, "Toward a Christian Esthetic," The Whimsical Christian.

Experience and Art

"A poet is a man who not only suffers the impact of external events but also experiences them. He puts the experience into words in his own mind, and in so doing recognizes the experience for what it is. To the extent that we can do that, we are all poets. A poet so-called is simply a man like ourselves with an exceptional power to revealing his experience by expressing it, so that not only he, but we ourselves, recognize that experience as our own."


-Dorothy Sayers, "Toward a Christian Esthetic," The Whimsical Christian.

Toward a Christian Esthetic

"But oddly enough, we have no Christian esthetic - no Christian philosophy of the arts. The Church as a body has never made up her mind about the arts, and it is hardly too much to say that she has never tried. She has, of course, from time to time puritanically denounced the arts as irreligious and mischievous, or tried to exploit the arts as a means to the teaching of religion and morals - but I shall hope to show you that both these attitudes are false and degrading and are founded upon a completely mistaken idea of what art is supposed to be and do. And there have, of course, been plenty of writers on esthetics who happened to be Christians, but they seldom made any consistent attempt to relate their esthetic to the central Christian dogmas. Indeed, so far as European esthetic is concerned, one feels that it would probably have developed along precisely the same lines had there never been an Incarnation to reveal the nature of God - that is to say the nature of all truth. But that is fantastic. If we commit ourselves to saying that the Christian revelation discovers to us the nature of all truth, then it must discover to us the nature of the truth about art among other things."

"It is absurd to go placidly along explaining art in terms of a pagan esthetic and taking no notice whatever of the complete revolution of our ideas about the nature of things that occurred, or should have occurred after the first Pentecost. I will go so far as to maintain that the extraordinary confusion of our minds about the nature and function of art is principally due to the fact that for nearly two thousand years we have been trying to reconcile a pagan, or at any rate a Unitarian, esthetic with a Christian - that is, a Trinitarian and Incarnational - theology. Even that makes us out too intelligent. We have not tried to reconcile them. We have merely allowed them to exist side by side in our minds; and where the conflict between them became too noisy to be overlooked, we have tried to silence the clamor by main force, either by brutally subjugating art to religion, or by shutting them up in separate prison cells and forbidding them to hold any communication with each other."


-Dorothy Sayers, "Toward a Christian Esthetic," The Whimsical Christian.
Emphasis is mine.

The Dominion Brass

I am really excited about the Dominion Brass.  This is really a first rate group of Christian professional musicians and educators who perform pro bono. Their mission is "to glorify God through music and to support other ministries ad charitable organizations through concert performances." 


Here is the cover to their first CD titled "Ite Missa Est."

My favorite thing about this CD, besides the outstanding musicianship, is the title piece "Ite Missa Est." This is really a programmatic symphonic work of four movements that are titled Birth, Life, Death, and Resurrection. This music captures the emotions that Christians throughout the ages have felt in response to Jesus' merciful work of salvation. Order your copy right now... you can thank me later!

Writing Hymns Is Not Easy

Last year I started writing hymns. It started innocently enough - I wrote a baptismal hymn for my two nieces. I struggled through it, but when all was said and done I was happy with what I had produced. Then came my brilliant idea. If I can write one hymn, I could write more. I decided that beginning in Advent, I was going to write one hymn a week. I allowed myself the option to set an existing hymn text to music, but I primarily wanted to write my own text and compose my own music. You may be asking yourself, "How has your idea panned out?" Well, here we are already in Lent and I have created a grand total of....(drum roll please).... one hymn. I also found a seventh century text that I like, but I still haven't set it to music. That brings me to a grand lifetime total of two and a half hymns. Yikes! 

Today I started writing another hymn, which will be for the baptism of our first child in August. As I started writing I remembered why I only have two and a half hymns finished - it is not easy work. One of the hardest aspects of writing a hymn for me is the poetry. I am no poet. When I first thought of writing a hymn for our baby, I wanted to take one of Gerhardt's hymn texts and create a new setting. Somehow that idea lost steam. Nothing I write will be as masterful as Gerhardt (or anyone else's text for that matter), but I really want to give our little daughter something from myself. So here I am, trying to write half way decent poetry about my little peanut's baptism then set it to half way decent music. A tall order to be sure, but I am up for it. I just hope it isn't too terribly mediocre. I can hear my teacher and friend Carl Lenthe right now,” There is so much mediocrity in the world. Must you add to it?"

I'm Back!

After a three year hiatus from Viva Vox Evangelii, I am back!  I have done a lot since 2009, namely getting married to my wonderful wife, graduating from Indiana University with a bachelor of music in trombone performance degree, starting a private low brass studio in Virginia, putting on recitals, playing concerts, and taking auditions. Now my wife and I are anxiously awaiting the birth of our little daughter in July! 


I want to get things going by letting everyone know about a wonderful early music ensemble called Concerto Palatino. These are some of the finest musicians that I have ever heard. Check out their website, buy their CDs, find some quiet time in your busy schedules, and listen to their glorious sounds.... 

Don Giovanni is our Sinful Nature

I recently wrote a paper on Mozart's opera, "Don Giovanni."  I argue, among other things, that Don Giovanni represents our sinful nature. Here is an excerpt: 

The other characters in the opera demonstrate selfish desires through their musical interactions with Don Giovanni.  This musical evidence shows that Don Giovanni’s character is more of a psychological idea than a physical character. Zerlina sings, “Ah that I could deny thee,” but Don Giovanni cannot be denied.  He is irresistible. He is the driving force in the other characters.  They can resist Don Giovanni no more than they can resist their own thoughts. He is the crass nature of Leporello, the carnal natures of the Donna Elvira and Zerlina, the jealous nature Masetto, and the violent natures of Donna Anna, and Don Ottavio.  That is precisely why Don Giovanni adapts each character’s musical style. Consequently, Zerlina sings with Don Giovanni in perfect unison, “my heart is fondly thine,” on behalf of the other characters.

Luther and Music

"We know that music is hateful and intolerable to devils. I firmly believe, nor am I ashamed to assert, that next to theology no art is equal to music; for it is the only one, except theology, which is able to give a quiet and happy mind. This is manifestly proved by the fact that the devil, the author or depressing care and distressing disturbances, almost flees from the sound of music as he does from the word of theology."

"Singing is the finest art and practice. He who is singing has no quarrel with the world and is not concerned with contentions in a law court. Singers are neither worried nor sad but shake all cares from their souls."



* All quatations of Dr. Luther are from: Ewald M. Plass. What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959.

*All pictures of Dr. Luther are from: Gustav Konig and Heinrich Gelzer. Dr. Martin Luther der Deutsche Reformator. Hamburg: Rudolf Besser, 1851.

"O Lamb of God. . . Have Mercy Upon Us"

To study music theory is to devote oneself to the analysis of musical forms. Theorists spend hours studying the details of any given musical form, which convey to us that there is a deeper emotional and musical communication that can be intended by a composition. Form is an important part of communicating musically. The same is true for the form of the liturgy of the western church.

Recently it dawned on me that the words of the Agnus Dei, "O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us," which are at the end of the service, are also found in the Gloria in Excelsis in the beginning of the service. However, In the Gloria this phrase is slightly modified, "O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us." The beauty of this discovery is that this is a fundamental prayer of the Christian Church. This prayer admits that we are destined for death, that we need God’s mercy, and that there is nothing we can do to change our predicament. In this confession we find our hope. Jesus, who was like a lamb, was led to the slaughter for our sins. Jesus willingly took our sins upon himself. Jesus has thus had great mercy on us. That is the church’s confession - it is a statement of faith about the person who gives us hope. The way this wonderful prayer is used in the liturgy adds depth to one’s understanding of Jesus Christ’s redemptive work.

This phrase, used in both the Gloria and the Agnus Dei, also acts as a signal that forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are near. After the Gloria is sung in the Divine Service, we proceed with the Salutation and Collect for the Day. Then our Lord is with us through His Words. Later in the service we sing the Agnus Dei. Then our Lord is physically with us in the Eucharist. After praying these words we receive our Lord for the purification of our corruption. This phrase alerts us that our Lord Jesus is present with us in the ways that have been promised: through His Words and in the Sacraments. What is happening at these points in the Liturgy is nothing less than the Lord’s compassionate response to our cry for mercy.

This phrase also confesses the purpose of the life of Jesus. The Gloria starts with the words of the nativity, "Glory be to God on high and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." When we pray for “the Lamb of God" to have mercy on us we link the birth of the Jesus to the purpose of his death - the salvation of the world. When we pray these words in the Agnus Dei we acknowledge that Jesus’ death has made atonement for the fallen world. We also confess that Jesus is with us both spiritually and physically in this age. The man who was born of a virgin outside of Bethlehem is the same man who justified sinners through his death. This is the same man who is now with us in His Word and in His Sacraments.

"O Christ, thou lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us!"


*My spiritual father, Pr. Esget, provided me with insight into the depth of the use of this phrase in the liturgy. The whole article has been influenced by him.

*Many thanks are due to my beloved Kyle.

*All quotations of the Liturgy are from The Lutheran Hymnal.

*Citations/Bibliography/Works Cited:
The Lutheran Hymnal. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.

Musical Adiaphora

Choosing an instrument is musical adiaphora. There are bad choices and there are good choices. Of course some of the good choices are heavenly....

Who Needs Classical Music?

Here are two quotes from a book I am reading titled, Who Needs Classical Music? Cultural Choice and Musical Value by Julian Johnson.

"The nineteenth-century writer Eduard Hanslick suggested that to judge music solely by the emotions it aroused was like trying to judge a wine while getting drunk."

". . . . Classical music fares badly today-not because it is old but because it demands an engagement of the mind through time (thought) that contemporary conceptions of music no longer recognize. Classical music is at odds with contemporary culture precisely because of its insistence on the tension between the bodily and the intellectual, the material and the spiritual, the thinglike and its transcendence in thought. . . ."

Frau Musica

Of all the joys upon this earth
None has for men a greater worth
Than what I give with my ringing
And with voices sweetly singing.
There cannot be an evil mood
Where there are singing fellows good,
There is no envy, hate, nor ire,
Gone are through me all sorrows dire;
Greed, care, and lonely heaviness
No more do they the heart oppress.
Each man can in his mirth be free
Since such a joy no sin can be.
But God in me more pleasure finds
Than in all joys of earthly minds.
Through my bright power the devil shirks
His sinful, murderous, evil works.
Of this King David's deeds do tell
Who pacified King Saul so well
By sweetly playing on the lyre
And thus escaped his murderous ire.
For truth divine and God's own rede
The heart of humble faith shall lead;
Such did Elisha once propound
When harping he the Spirit found.
The best time of the year is mine
When all the birds are singing fine.
Heaven and earth their voices fill
With right good song and tuneful trill.
And, queen of all, the nightingale
Men's hearts will merrily regale
With music so charmingly gay;
For which be thanks to her for aye.
But thanks be first to God, our Lord,
Who created her by his Word
To be his own beloved songstress
And of musica a mistress.
For our dear Lord she sings her song
In praise of him the whole day long;
To him I give my melody
And thanks in all eternity.

A Preface to All Good Hymnals
Martin Luther 1538

viva vox evangelii

Music affects us. This is no surprise. Turn on your radio and the moment you hear a song which is associated with a pleasant experience you get a warm and fuzzy feeling. There is so much more to music than warm feelings. Music, like any good and noble profession,involves countless hours of work. It involves time spent practicing, listening, and studying. It involves many failures and a few successes. It involves artistry and emotion. Music is a communal art (Johnson, pp. 10-11) that is useless when it is created according to the selfish desires of a performer. Most importantly, music is transcendental.

Doctor Martin Luther was keenly aware of the effect and usefulness of music. He once said, “Music is an outstanding gift of God and next to theology.” (Plass, pp. 979) Luther believed that music was one of the most precious gifts from God. This gift, according to Luther, was to be used with every effort to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. He understood that “Music has the natural power of stimulating and arousing the souls of men.” (Plass, pp. 982) Music that proclaims the Gospel drives the devil away and lifts the spirit from the depths of depression and despair. Luther knew that music provides a unique means for communicating the Gospel. This is why Luther held music in high regard. “For Luther, music was the viva vox evangelii, the living voice of the Gospel, a gift of God to be used in all its fullness in Christian praise and prayer.” (Schalk, pp. 30)

Unfortunately many people today allow music into the church which proclaims anything but the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Nowadays music is used as a magnet to attract people to a church. It is used to turn churches into social clubs or local hang out spots. Music is even worshiped in the place of the Triune God. Any use of music in the church which is not Christ centered diverts our attention from the Gospel when it should be proclaiming it. This misuse of music in a church dulls the sense that God is present in our worship.

We should pray to our Heavenly Father, that he will have mercy and bless his church with theologically sound and well trained musicians. Church musicians should be urged to adorn Christian worship through quality musicianship. We would not put a ratty piece of fabric on the alter when we possess a silk linen. Musicians need to look at what they are trying to accomplish in the church through music. Making music should be done not for the personal enjoyment and entertainment of the congregants, but music should be made reverently in the presence of God. Music can lift our thoughts, focus our attention on God’s Word, and be the viva vox evangelii. “Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of the saints.” (Psalm 149:1)

Julian Johnson. Who Needs Classical Music? Cultural Choice and Musical Value. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc, 2002.

Ewald M. Plass. What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959.

Carl F. Schalk. Luther on Music: Paradigms of Praise. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988.